feature stories
Best 'Buddies'
Dec 7, 2006 11:54 AM
UFT Secondary Charter School 6th-graders help younger students learn joys of reading
After reading with 6th-grade mentor Kiana Larose, 2nd-grader Jalene Banner draws a picture of the book’s main idea.
In Paris, a little girl who fell into the Seine was getting rescued by a dog named Genevieve. In a forest, a bear cub was drinking birthday soup. In a red house, a tall, skinny cat was balancing a cup and a cake, books and a fish, and milk in a dish on his tall, skinny hat. In Brooklyn, 2nd-graders were enthralled by these stories, read to them by 6th-graders from the UFT Secondary Charter School.
Madeline, Little Bear, the Cat in the Hat, Lovable Lyle and many other imaginary celebrities were in full force at the Nov. 1 grand opening of “Reading Buddies,” an ongoing community service program that is an integral part of student life at the union’s newest charter school, which opened its doors in September in the neighborhood of East New York.
Is this fun or what? Getting lots of attention from big kids and drawing themes with your very own brand-new box of crayons and a special colored pencil, gifts from the UFT. Brandon Roman (left) helps Rahmel Powe; Laren Nelson helps Dejah Horton (right).
“It all came to life … the magic of reading … it was fantastic. Reading one-on-one to younger children once a week is a community service program that is in our charter and is a requirement for both stepping up to 7th grade and ultimately for graduating,” said Jeff Fagen, director of school community life. “We spent a lot of time over two months to ready our children for this program.”
Every Wednesday, carrying books they have researched and decided are really great and just right for 2nd-graders, the reading crew visits PS 306, PS 213 and the UFT Elementary Charter School to do their storytelling thing. They also help the younger child they have been regularly assigned to teach with his or her reading-aloud skills.
On the opening day of the “Reading Buddies” program, Elizabeth Kayode (right), a 6th-grader in the UFT Secondary Charter School, meets her 2nd-grade reading buddy at Brooklyn’s PS 306.
Book selection is just one part of the process, according to Fagen. Other elements include lesson planning and social skills — remembering your pleases and thank-yous and what to do when an adult enters the room or interrupts your lesson. And, alas — they get pointers on how to deal with a child’s misbehavior. The young reading teachers — who have taught several times now since opening day — keep a journal and maintain a folder with their past, present and future lesson plans.
“I am just so, so proud of my kids,” Fagen said. “We all are.”
Proud, certainly, and the charter school staff is also more than a little amused when a few of their 6th-graders return from the field in a huff to report that they had to deal with a disruptive child.
