This summer, reading coaches and site coordinators quickly adapted to a brand-new tutoring model: virtual Team Read! Teens who had previously tutored students during the school year were invited to come back and help implement our pilot online program. It was a new experience for everyone, but carefully planned training sessions helped prepare the team to work one-on-one with students in a virtual setting. “The site coordinators and reading coaches made the transition look easy, as they were able to start connecting with students on day one and dive into reading by day two,” said Summer Program Coordinator, Rose Nakano. “The coaches learned how to use Raz-Kids and Zoom really quickly. They often taught me things that I had not been aware of!” agreed Site Coordinator Alicia.
Coaches and program staff noticed many reading pairs were actually able to focus more with online tutoring as opposed to in-person, where their peers can sometimes be a distraction. “It was great to see coaches and their readers were still able to build a relationship. I often witnessed fun conversations about the books they were reading and how aspects of the book related to their own lives,” Alicia added.
Of course there were some challenges along the way, like technical difficulties and attendance issues, but our team navigated through this uncharted territory and executed an excellent summer program. Together we served nearly 100 students and read more than 26,550 minutes! THANK YOU to all the teens and site support staff who helped make our online pilot a success:
Site Assistants
Abby, Louis
Peer Leaders
Becca, Lucia
Reading Coaches
Seattle: Ainsley, Alejandra, Allysa, Amy, Andrew, Aya, Catie, Claire, Dixie Kate, Helin, James, Jasmyn, Jenny, Kendrick, Lourienne, Lucia, Megan, Mia, Sabrina, Vienne
Highline: Celeny, Charlee, Coleen, Faiza, Jacob, Jenny, Lele, Madeline, Monica, Ny, Tsion
Site Coordinators
Seattle: Sandy, Cedric, Christine, Laura
Highline: Alicia
…and our AMAZING Summer Program Coordinator, Rose!