ACE News
Success by 6: Tabitha's Story
March 31, 2011
ACE, in partnership with the United Way Success By 6 initiative, has created an internship program that supports the language and literacy development of three-, four-, and five-year-old children attending high-quality low-income childcare centers. ACE Success By 6 Interns are current college students at The University of Texas at Austin and St. Edward's University. The Interns lead small-group literacy lessons and provide classroom instructional support during their 15 hours of service at their center each week. Currently, there are eight ACE Success By 6 Interns serving in six childcare centers in east Austin.
Tabitha Wills, a sophomore majoring in speech-language pathology at The University of Texas at Austin, works in the Pre-K classroom at the NAEYC-accredited Mt. Sinai Christian Academy. Though still in her first year of tutoring, she is already planning to return to ACE in the fall!
Here is Tabitha's story:
At the beginning of the year, I never could have imagined being excited to be at work by
8 a.m., but the very first day I stepped into class at Mt. Sinai Christian Academy, I knew that the energy from the classroom would be more than enough to keep me going! Ms. Gwen, the teacher in my classroom, helped the children transition smoothly to me and helped me transition to the classroom by showing me the daily routines and giving me opportunities to connect with the kids.
In the mornings, I make myself available to the students in case they need help writing their names or finding an activity such as reading, practicing writing, drawing, or working puzzles. During meals, I help serve the food, then I sit and eat with the children. We discuss table manners and try to take turns talking, which is sometimes hard with all of the stories they want to share. With confidence to share their thoughts, they learn so much more in the classroom, and specifically during our small groups.
One student in particular had a lot of room for improving her letter knowledge at the beginning of the year. The first time we had small group, she showed how much she loved to sing. After the other kids went away, she asked to use the pointer to follow the words and sing the song, informing me it was her "solo." Through this tradition after our group, practicing letters by playing teacher on the white board with me (along with other classroom activities), she has learned more letters, sounds, and sight words.
Another student had a lot of trouble writing his name at the beginning of the year. During small groups, he would get distracted and want to pretend play Transformers at the block center. After he showed me a picture he drew of his Transformer, I asked if he wanted to write a name so everyone knew it was Bumblebee. He got excited and sat down with me, focusing carefully on each letter and sounding out the name. Through combining his favorite toys with learning and daily practice, he can now write his first and last name and is proud to show it.
Their passion for learning and displaying what they know has spilled over into my life. It is hard not to get excited about reading aloud when the students hold on to every word of a story or sing the fingerplays and songs like they are Top 40 hits. One day, a boy in my class looked at me and said, "Wow, Ms. Tabitha, you can do everything!" While I know this comment has already been disproved, it shows that you do not need superpowers to influence a child. It is all about the passion and energy put into the experience. That is what creates an environment of learning for both the child and the teacher. And it has even turned me into a morning person.
Tabitha Wills
ACE Success by 6 intern