What did I do?America Reads was something I wanted to get involved with at the University of Maryland since I heard about it first semester Freshman year. I love working with kids and from the time I was a child I've always wanted to be a teacher; however, I quickly found out that career path wasn't for me. At home I volunteered with children frequently, but since coming to UMD I hadn't been able to get involved with anything yet.
After getting accepted into the volunteer program of America Reads I was ecstatic. Twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I would go to Springhill Lake Elementary and help three children practice their reading skills. I had two first graders and one second grader who were all at different reading levels. I had 30 minutes with each of them to go over vocabulary, read to them, have them read to me and play games. I got to know a little bit about each child which helped me adapt the lesson plan to their likes and interests.
But...Unfortunately, my practicum got cut short due to the schools being shut down from the pandemic. I didn't get to complete all of my hours with America Reads and I was only able to enjoy five weeks with my kids. It was hard not being able to go back as I feel like I didn't get to complete my duty of helping the children improve their reading skills. Although my time was cut short, I know this is something I want to continue in the future.
Plan B:Since my volunteering with America Reads was cut short, I completed two informational interviews with two local journalists. I FaceTime interviewed Olivia Krauth, an education reporter from the Courier-Journal, and Jennifer Baileys, a news anchor from WLKY.
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