Sophie Wong has been a YES Reading tutor at College Park Elementary School for the past year, beginning in the winter of 2006. Sophie first found out about YES Reading through an article in the San Jose Mercury News. Sophie tutors two students, a first grader and a third grader. During tutoring sessions and coffee hours, Sophie generously shares her experiences and insights as a literacy tutor with newer volunteers and the site director.
1) Why Sophie became a volunteer with YES Reading... Sophie is the mother of two daughters. When her daughters were in elementary school she volunteered in their classrooms. From the experience of helping children’s learning in the classroom, Sophie was able to see the positive impact this support had on the children’s interest in school and self-confidence. This past fall, Sophie’s youngest daughter went off to college. Therefore, in preparing herself for this next step in her life she had more time to volunteer and decided to share her time with YES Reading at a school in her community.
2) What do you enjoy most about your work with YES Reading & the students in the program? Sophie responds, “I enjoy seeing the kids get excited about books, seeing the change, their smiles that are so heart-felt.”
3) What is your occupation/profession? In addition to being a YES Reading volunteer, Sophie serves as a board member for the Asian American Curriculum Project (AACP – www.asianamericanbooks.com). The AACP is a non-profit organization that works to bring a wide variety of Asian American Curriculum materials to schools, libraries, and the general public. Sophie describes the AACP as an opportunity to build understanding through the sharing of experiences. Literature can be a way to communicate these experiences and share them with others. Sophie has also generously shared a number of books from the AACP bookstore with the YES Reading Center and the students at College Park Elementary School.
4) Is there a particularly memorable student or experience from your time at YES Reading? Please tell us about it. Sophie recalls the experience of working with a 4th grade student last year. Over the course of the year they were able to explore many different books together during the Read Aloud time of the YES Reading session. Sophie fondly remembers reading books with this student that represented multi-cultural perspectives and brought much enjoyment.
5) How has your work with YES Reading impacted you? Sophie believes that it is important to support kids who need extra help in school. Sophie refers to a Chinese saying that translates as, “We nurture all children like our own” and sees YES Reading as an opportunity to put this principal into practice. Sophie stated, “I want to make a difference and I have become a part of [the children’s] lives too… I have seen the changes over time.” Sophie believes that through supporting young people to learn to read and love to read, that we will create a better society.
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