As part of the Team Read reading mentor/coach application process, candidates must write an essay that explains why they would be a good reading coach. As always, we received many great responses, so it was hard to choose just one to share. Below is an essay written by eighth grader Mette, who recently began her journey as a reading mentor.

img_1340I have been told by people who have participated in the Team Read mentor program that it was an enjoyable and great learning experience. I would love to be part of this program because it has so many benefits for the kids and I want to be a part of that.

I want to be a tutor because being a strong reader can help you to be successful in many parts of life. In school, reading plays a part in all your classes, not just reading and writing. It is also important in subjects such as science and math. You have to be able to read and understand directions you are given. If you don’t it will make school much more difficult. Written tests, projects, and reports are all about words; being able to understand what you have to do is very important. But reading isn’t only important for school. Having knowledge is important and to have this, reading things like newspapers is helpful. Being able to read well can also make finding a job easier. I want to help someone to be successful in life and have lots of opportunities.

In addition, I want to be a tutor because I want to help a child to really be able to enjoy reading. Books give you another world and I don’t want people missing out on that. Reading a book you love can take you to another place that nothing else can. It gives you new experiences. Enjoying reading can also make school easier. We are expected to be at a similar skill level as other kids in our grade and if you are given something to read, you are expected to be able to read it. People who like to read build a lot of reading skills from reading a lot. If you don’t like to read, other people who do will pass you by and be at a more advanced level. Liking to read can also make reading long and boring passages easier.

Finally, I would like to be a tutor because I want students to be confident in their reading. If you have to read something out loud in class, you would want to be able to read it. You don’t want to have to be embarrassed to read aloud or even of what books you are reading. If you can be confident about your reading, you won’t worry about what people think about your book. Having confidence in schoolwork leads to having confidence in life. Not worrying about what people think about your reading can also help you to realize it doesn’t matter what people think of you. Being a confident person is important because it will help the students to be independent in their thinking.

I hope you will consider me to be a tutor because I would really love to have the opportunity to help a child to improve their reading.