Sharon Carew has been with us since the very first day of the YES Reading program at Sanchez School on February 4th, 2008. She is a committed tutor, as she comes twice a week to be with Noe. She has developed an incredible rapport with him. Sharon understands Noe's literacy needs and is always looking for opportunities to individualize the work that they are doing together.
1. Why did you decide to volunteer with YES Reading? I decided to look into volunteering when I ended my nine to five retail job. I came across YES Reading on the internet and decided to look into it. I had tutored in an after school program many years ago and I have so many good memories from that time. I also liked that the Sanchez school is just a twenty minute walk from my home.
2. What do you enjoy most about your work with YES Reading and the students in the program? YES Reading is great! I never knew tutoring could be this fun. I love best that I can see my student improving every week and so can he. There is never a dull moment. YES Reading has a structured curriculum that is easy to follow and gently nudges the student forward as they gain the ability to read, comprehend what they read, reach for the deeper meaning and then write about what they've read. YES Reading gives the students confidence. My student knows the general layout for each session and eagerly looks forward to all the new things he will learn.
3. What is our occupation/profession? My background has mostly been in the arts. I was a dancer, a milliner, and a painter. I also studied theater for a few years. Later, I studied to become a Feldenkrais practitioner. I am now combining my knowledge of the Feldenkrais method with other modalities and current fields of research, collaborating with a colleague, to produce an ongoing workshop on recovering from back pain.
4. Is there a particularly memorable student or experience from your time at YES Reading? I love to see how proud my student is of his accomplishments. I'll never forget the first shy smile that passed over his face on our third session together when he realized he could read a whole book by himself.
5. How has your work with YES Reading impacted you? It is very humbling to be a guide or mentor in whatever way I can towards this transformation.
Tutoring kids is a fantastic way for me to connect with the community I live in. I am currently studying Spanish at City College and I live in the Mission District of San Francisco. Learning the language of the people I live with and working with Latino kids expands my life and enriches my cultural experience.
I imagine a whole world opening up for my student - a world where he is an active participant not someone unsure of himself, full of doubt and anxiety. I believe students who receive one-on-one individual attention like this, students who are patiently and gently guided to realize their own intelligence and worth, will have a greater chance to grow up to become self-assured adults with intellectual and emotional intelligence.
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