Posts Tagged ‘Dixwell Street’

Jan has been volunteering at the Dixwell site in early 2020. She began working with students just prior to the pandemic. It was a new experience for her and the students, but she has continued to tutor throughout distance learning. One reason she wanted to volunteer at NHR is the importance of literacy. “Literacy is essential to navigate comfortably through in every aspect of life for native speakers of English and non-native English speakers.” About a year ago she began teaching ESOL to adult students in addition to working with children in NHR. What keeps her coming back is the students, who she describes as a joy to work with. Since the pandemic she feels there is an importance to make up for that lost time from school. “It is a wonderful experience to help them discover their strengths and celebrate their wins.”

Sarah has been volunteering at the Dixwell site for since September 2020. Sarah started volunteering because she wanted to give back to her new community after moving here in 2019. She loves being involved and has always had a passion for helping others learn, having previously worked as a substitute teacher. “NHR appealed to me more than other tutoring programs as it was clear that tutors were able to form a meaningful relationship with students, one that resembles more of a mentorship than simply a tutoring session. I could tell immediately that the other volunteers were proud of their work and were making a difference and I wanted to also be a part of that,” she explains.  

Sarah enjoys seeing the immense growth in her student and their excitement to read and learn.  “I know I am helping to make a difference in the youth of my community and I think that helping to further education is one of the best volunteer pursuits one can take on.”