Time Well Spent

I walk into the super-charged kid environment of Castro School in Mountain View, head for the quiet little tutoring room next to the library, and meet Manuel for a 3/4-hour reading session. I read to him for a while, we work on his sight words and sound of the day — "ue" for example — and then he reads to me. He learns quickly, and this one-on-one experience is something he can't get in his fifth-grade classroom. He's going to middle school next school year, and I may never see him again, but the time we spent together was special, and should move him along in his academic career.

When school starts again in the fall, I will be back to meet another boy or girl whose teacher has identified him or her as a "special needs" student.

This program, which is called "Yes, Reading", is one of the many volunteer opportunities that we learn about through our active Outreach Committee. At Union, we believe that we have been blessed to be a blessing, and filling a need in our own community, is a way to serve where you're planted.

-- Carol Gielow, July 2008

Castro School is looking for 5th grade math tutors on Thursdays from 7:30 to 8:00 a.m.