New Haven Reads students have been really excited for our Winter Book Giveaway! We have been giving away hundreds of books to our NHR students over the past few weeks. All of our students were able to take home two books and were very thankful.
Tutors helped students select books.
Saturday students enjoyed picking out books to take home.
Our volunteers continue to be the heart and soul of New Haven Reads. NHR tutors currently tutor a total of 454 hours with 279 students each week! Their impact is immeasurable. Enjoy this video of students expressing how much their tutors mean to them. Their smiles speak volumes!
Often, the only thing that many tutors and interns at New Haven Reads have in common is an enormous heart, a love of reading, and a dedication to helping others. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess where they are from, how they found out about the program, what led them to working with young students, and any other personal details. We cherish this diversity of passions, experiences, and personality, and we are continually surprised at the awe-inspiring individuals that join us to help our students.
Piper O’Keefe, an Education Department Intern, continues to amaze us with her depth of experiences and with her drive for helping our organization. Now a graduate student at Yale, Piper graduated from Gettysburg College in 2017 certain that she wanted to give back to others. While studying abroad in Germany and Rwanda, she realized that spending extended time in other countries provides an invaluable perspective.
“You just learn so many new things while living in different areas, and you connect with people you absolutely would not have met otherwise,” Piper explained.
Combining this desire for more time abroad with her dedication to create change in the world, Piper decided to join the Peace Corps.
In the Peace Corps, she taught English in a rural high school in Sierra Leone. After returning to the United States, she received the Coverdell Fellowship, a program for returning Peace Corps Volunteers who wish to continue their service to underserved communities during graduate school.
After reflecting on how much she enjoyed her time teaching English in Sierra Leone, deciding how to continue her service while at Yale couldn’t have been easier.
“New Haven Reads seemed like a perfect chance to apply what I learned in Sierra Leone, and it allowed me to continue working with students during tutoring sessions,” Piper shared.
At New Haven Reads, she supports five students each week through individual tutoring sessions and assists the Education Department with various literacy projects.
Although the differences between the two experiences are clear — a full classroom versus one-on-one sessions, for starters — Piper cherishes her time at New Haven Reads, noting the similarities between her service abroad and in New Haven.
“With teaching you realize how similar students are, no matter what country you’re in,” Piper said. “The same methods to get my students excited in Sierra Leone, I can use with my students here. The same look you can see in a student’s eye when they have a book they love, it’s the same look here as in Sierra Leone. It’s really exciting.”
Every Tuesday and Thursday, Andrew excitedly logs into the Zoom tutoring session, oftentimes arriving ten minutes early. He lights the room up with a smile, and as tutors and students start trickling in, he excitedly
asks, “How is everyone’s day going?” He starts up brief conversations with a tutor — or sometimes a few different tutors at once — as he waits for the session to begin.
When he gets into the session, he is just as energetic and upbeat. Gene Kirsten, Andrew’s tutor, cherishes their time together. “He’s very bright, and his mind races in such a great way!” Gene shared. When Andrew plays Fast Find on Lexia, he does not just choose the right word as it quickly falls down the computer screen. Instead, Gene explained, “He challenges himself to quickly select the right word, and then to use it in a unique sentence, all before the next word appears.”
But Gene feels that discussing his diligence and studiousness is just scratching the surface. Above all, “He brings a lot of brightness to our sessions. He likes to help people — he is very accommodating, and he
likes to make everyone’s day a little better,” Gene said.
Reflecting on Andrew’s precocious nature, Carol Sarmiento, the Site Director at the Willow Street location, remembered a session from a few months ago. Andrew logged in a few minutes early, but he still was upset
he was not earlier. “Mom, I’m late! I’m late! I didn’t make it to New Haven Reads!” Andrew shouted. He calmed down immediately after realizing he was still on time. That moment, however, clearly displayed
his punctuality, consistency, and dedication to the program. “He’s always here on time, ready — and excited — to learn. He’s making progress everyday, while also bringing so much joy to our entire
program, students, tutors, and staff alike,” Carol remarked.
Monday: 1pm-7pm
Tuesday: 1pm-7pm
Wednesday: 1pm-7pm
Thursday: 12pm-6pm
Friday: 12pm-6pm
Saturday: 10am-2pm
Please call to confirm that these hours are accurate. Hours are subject to change when we are on break. All break hours are posted in the scrolling header here on our website, as well as our social media.
45 Bristol Street
New Haven CT 06511
203.752.1923
EIN 760807330
Freddy Fixer Dances Down Dixwell Avenue New Haven tutoring initiative shows improvement in math and reading skills New Haven students show improvements in math and literacy through tutoring program
Founded to share the joy and power of reading, New Haven Reads partners with the community to provide free one-on-one tutoring, educational family support, and a book bank to empower aspiring readers to master the literacy skills needed to thrive in school and life.
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