“I have begun to see the problems that plague some of our schools, but I have also begun to see how people can make differences by evolving with the times, staying focused, and maintaining hope.” —Melissa Thrailkill
Melissa Thrailkill, Member 2002–2003
As Thomas, a kindergarten student, concentrated deeply on coloring his "Letter H Book," I sat beside him, my knees to my chest and my back hunched in an effort to make myself closer to his size. While he worked on a pretty pink hat in his book, I asked him, "What rhymes with hat?" He glanced at me with a knowing look and quickly replied, "Cat." Just two weeks before, Thomas could not have answered my question. But, on this day, he knew it, and I knew it was partly because of the one-on-one time we had spent sorting rhyming picture cards, reading rhyming books, and saying words out loud. On this day, Thomas could confidently respond to my excited praise with, "My brain is working today."
It is hard to describe how it feels to help a young child's "brain work." This kind of indescribable emotion has become a part of my everyday life as a literacy tutor for AmeriCorps for Community Engagement and Education, where I spend my days in a low-income school, providing extra support to struggling students and teachers with overflowing classrooms. I spend my days in chairs not made for people my size, at tables meant for little legs, and bent over tying dirty shoelaces. At times, it can be difficult. Sometimes I get tired of having sticky glue fingers, cutting construction paper, and reading nursery rhymes and songs in hopes of finding the one that will result in a creative lesson for my students. My children's smiles, comments, and successes, however, make that difficulty disappear quickly.
It is important for me to describe this program and how it has surpassed all my expectations because it will give insight into why I believe this program is valuable to the Austin Independent School District, Texas, and young students. To begin, the program's name explains precisely what it strives to be, an entity in which members engage themselves in their community to actively promote learning both inside and outside their schools, reaching out to parents and combining efforts with local community organizations. I joined this program because I wanted to be involved in something bigger than myself. This program has given me this opportunity by putting me in an environment where everything I do directly affects others. When I show up at school at 7:45 a.m., or at a homeless shelter twice a week, or at the neighborhood recreation center, my day is no longer just about me. Instead, it is about children, teachers, and families.
In all honesty, I work more than I ever imagined I would, but I leave satisfied. Furthermore, the ACEE staff inspires me to work hard, to do more, and to give my time freely. The supervisors are amazingly supportive. What's more, working and talking with people who know so much and who have committed their lives researching and teaching in order to help children, especially those labeled "at risk," is a motivating force, and a privilege. Additionally, seeing firsthand how so many people have dedicated their time to the community encourages me to be more active, while at the same time educating me in a way college courses never did. From the library across the street from my school, to the recreation center, to the teachers and staff at every school I have visited or volunteered, I have witnessed how individuals combine their knowledge, skills, and interests to make their neighborhoods stronger and safer.
In only a few months as an ACEE volunteer, I have realized how vital programs like ACEE are to education and individual communities. ACEE helps fill in the gaps state funding leaves open by working to help those students and schools that are among some of the hardest hit by poverty. I have begun to see the problems that plague some of our schools, but I have also begun to see how people can make differences by evolving with the times, staying focused, and maintaining hope. Through ACEE, I can see the difference we volunteers make daily. I see it when young readers learn rhyming, or words, or build their confidence so that they longer hesitate between words and sentence. These are a few of the rewards I receive for the time I have spent. But the time I have given is rather small, compared to all that ACEE and my students have given me. For I have learned so much about service and myself; this is something that I will carry with me everywhere I go and help me in everything I do.