“To be a part of ACEE is to be moved in ways you never thought possible.” —Katie Holody
Katie Holody, Member 2004–2005
I do not think that anyone enters AmeriCorps with a firm grasp on what they are getting themselves into. I drove 1,229 miles to join the AmeriCorps for Community Engagement and Education (ACEE) program. I drove 1,229 miles to a city I had never visited to volunteer 10 months of my life. Such a move was totally against the life in corporate America for which I had been prepared by my university experience. I have never second-guessed my decision to join ACEE. It just feels right.
I enjoy my first-grade students more than I ever thought I would. They act silly, serious, loud, quiet, uncertain, and confident. And these behaviors can emerge several times over in the 45 minutes I see them. I would love to say that every time I see one of my focus children a flame of understanding flares to life. It would be nice to have instant gratification for all of the time I put into their lessons considering what methods work best for them. It is not just a matter of picking out an Arthur book to read aloud, finding a leveled text for them to read, and flashing some cards in front of them. Every child is different. Morquise loves the dry erase board. I know that any activity involving the magical dry erase board will engage him. I have recently learned that Alex loves sharks. We can read about sharks. He will write about sharks. It is all fascinating to him. Whatever I can do to incorporate sharks into my lessons will be done because I know that he will learn. Some of my focus children are more visual learners while others are more auditory learners. Knowing these things helps me figure out how to help my children with the different aspects of reading, whether it is dissecting and reading a word like "clock" or memorizing words that just do not follow the rules of phonics like "was."
While I would love to see the switch flip from "off" to "on," it does not work that way. My first graders' understanding grows gradually. Some days I cannot see the growth at all. It gets frustrating then. All it takes at that point is a look back at where we started in September to see how far we have come. Sometimes I get scared that I am not making that much of a difference. We have had so much quality literacy training, but I wonder "what if I am not doing it right?" Dr. Prater always reminds me to "think about how much more they know with you in their life." She is, of course, right. There is not one right way to be doing things. Purely by the fact that I care and sit down with my children twice a week for 45 minutes, they know more than they would have without me.
It is really amazing to be able to see a child learn. I can literally hear the wheels whirring to life in their heads sometimes. Really the most gratifying thing for me is the absolute trust they place in me. They do not question the activities we do or the books we read. They do not question my knowledge or call me out for being a fraud. I know that I did not go to college and learn how to teach children, but my children do not and even if they did, they would not care. They are glad to be singled out and have special time with me. It sets them apart from the other children in the class. The eight of them know that, and they seem proud of it.
The ACEE program does not just better the lives of the eight focus children under the care of every tutor. As tutors, our lives change. It affects the teachers at the schools in which we are placed. We affect and are affected by the extra programs in which we volunteer our time. We come into contact with and become friends with whole families. We see children and parents in the school, in the after-school programs, at school carnivals, programs, assemblies, and Family Fun Nights. By joining AmeriCorps, we have become role models in our community.
The hours are long. The stress levels can run high. Your bank account will suffer. And yet, a child's laughter is contagious. Children's books will never fail to make you smile. Your cohort will become your second family. Nothing can lift your spirit like the feeling of several pairs of arms wrapping themselves around your waist in a show of unbridled affection. To be a part of ACEE is to be moved in ways you never thought possible.