Students tutor kids at local reading camp

Storybooks, letters, paper, pencils and flashcards were spread out on all the tables at the John H. Jackson Community Center in Downtown Orlando on Saturday morning.

On Feb. 5, about 45 students from UCF's College of Education's  Reading Camp program came to help children from the local Parramore area learn a fundamental skill: how to read.

Around 10 a.m., the reading-camp children came trickling in, some bounding through the doors, other clutching their parents' hands.

As the young students were assigned to their tutors, the UCF students started their lessons.

The day began for the UCF students with an orientation and a tour of the facilities conducted by Timothy Blair, an education professor at UCF, and his assistant, Dana Vaughan.

"[The children] will surprise you," Vaughan said to the UCF students.

Vaughan and   Blair split the UCF students into groups, directing students to rooms set aside for different grade groups.

"Introduce yourself to the parents, explain how thrilled you are to be tutoring their child,"  Blair said to his students. "You'll learn the ropes from the reading-camp children."

The reading camp program is in its tenth year.

"It's his [Blair's] little baby, his project," Vaughan   said.

 Blair started the program because he was dissatisfied with how teachers are prepared to teach in diverse schools, especially low-income schools.

"It's a priority. A lot of our future teachers will be teaching children from low-income families," Blair said. "This is a great experience for them."

According to Blair's research, at least 33 percent of the children that come regularly raise their reading rate by one level.

The UCF students have the option of opting out of the lecture portion of the class in exchange for participating in the reading program.

The tutoring sessions last one hour and 15 minutes. Although the average is 60 to 70 children per week, Saturday's session had 120 on the roster.

Jessica Ryan and Edith Flores, both junior elementary education majors, were looking forward to starting their first tutoring sessions with the children.

"I'm looking forward to the ‘I get it' moment — ‘I understand; I can read,' " Flores said. "Reading can be fun, so often it is viewed in a negative light by the kids."

Ryan said she begged for an override to get into   Blair's class. She loves the area, stating the kids in this area need it the most, and are trying to better themselves.

Latoria, a 10-year-old fourth-grader at Lake Como Elementary, said this was her second time at the reading camp.

"We get to play games," Latoria said. "They teach us how to read. If you can read, you can tell what the full price[ of something] is."

Latoria enrolled in the program because her teacher said she needed to  improve her reading skills.

Blair believes learning in small groups is one of the most effective ways for students to learn.

"Small group instruction, nothing beats its," Blair said. "Schools know this as well."

Vivene Scott and Arlene Bridges, both parents of students enrolled in the program agree. Bridges'  son has been enrolled in the program for three years.

"I like the one-on-one.  I see improvement in his reading," Bridges said.

Originally from Jamaica, Bridges has been living in Orlando for 11 years.

"I wish a lot more parents would take advantage. Schools are crowded, 18 students to a teacher. Here it is two to three students in a group," Bridges said.

Blair said the UCF students love it as well, and that it helps them to grow in confidence and do away with myths.

"It's a hands-on, multicultural experience," Blair said. "They do everything that a real teacher does. So we train them to do everything."

Blair spoke about the importance of culturally sensitive teachers. There are 130 languages spoken in the Orlando area alone.

"Teachers need to care about students, not just the students in their care, but all students,"  he said.

Eric Cessor, an employee of the Jackson Center, has worked for the city of Orlando for the last 13 years. He grew up in the area and has assisted Blair with the program for the past eight years.

"It's all about me giving back to the kids," Cessor said. "This is an awesome program, I see the program is growing more and more every day."

Cessor shared a success story about a student who was enrolled in the reading program who later received a scholarship to a Florida college.

"Just the fact that you know a couple of words kept them going," Cessor said. "I still come back here and work because this is where I know and feel at home."

As the sessions came to a close, the young students start to fill the lobby. They line up for snacks and a special treat from   Blair: UCF folders.

"These have been blessed by President Hitt and Coach O'Leary," said   Blair, as he passed out folders to the grasping arms of grinning students. "My students can't even get these."

As Latoria waited for her mother to pick her up, she shared how her tutoring session went and plans to be back next week.

"It was really fun," she said. "I learned [about] a lot of books I didn't know about."