“The students were eager to help me learn and excited that they could be my teachers from time to time. ” —Georgia Jolink
Georgia Jolink, Member 2007–2008
As the end of my undergraduate career drew to a close in early 2006, I found myself in the not-so-unique position among my peers of finding a job that I truly felt passionate about. I was drawn to education but unsure if I was ready to be in charge of an entire classroom of kids. I also knew I wanted to continue to use the Spanish language skills I had honed in college. It was my mother who convinced me to look into the ACEE AmeriCorps program, as it fit squarely into my job criteria and was located in my hometown of Austin. I researched the program and realized it was indeed the perfect segue between mentoring, which I had done for several years, and classroom teaching. The one-on-one tutoring and bilingual setting appealed to me, and I applied for and was offered a position as a bilingual Kindergarten tutor.
Despite many years of learning and speaking Spanish, I was shocked to find how difficult it was to speak the language almost all day, every day. Every night, I came home exhausted from my elementary school, my mind reeling, and I wondered if I was truly getting through to these little people I taught. In addition to the eight to ten focus children I tutored individually each week, I became very involved with group activities in two different Kindergarten classrooms. Every afternoon, I helped students in their reading groups, assisted with literacy activities, and even facilitated art and science projects, all in my non-native tongue. Slowly, my vocabulary and speaking skills improved, and the classroom language that had once eluded me was now much more accessible. The students with whom I worked were also eager to help me learn and excited that they could be my teachers from time to time.
By school's end in May of 2007, 10 of my 12 focus children had improved substantially enough to pass on to 1st grade. I lamented the fact that two students would be held back for another year in Kindergarten, but because many Kindergarteners in low socioeconomic communities do not attend Pre-K, the gains they must make in one year are much more arduous than those of their Pre-K-educated classmates. Furthermore, I saw all of my children improve in ways that extended beyond sheer academics: their self-esteem had burgeoned, and they were much more independent as learners and as individuals.
I chose to return for a second year with ACEE because of my desire to continue working with such an excellent program and its staff and so that I could help mentor this year's crop of tutors as they progressed through the school year. From this new perspective as a Tutor Mentor, I have learned a tremendous amount about how an organization works. I have tremendous respect not only for school administrations but also for the hard work that goes into running a nonprofit organization like ACEE.