Write Team: Getting to know children is like opening presents

Wow, summer is full-blown, and a new school year is upon us.

Each year when I go back to volunteer with a new class of students (just three or four at a time for me – I’m in total awe of teachers who can handle a whole classroom of them!), to begin to learn their names and their aptitudes and attitudes, to try to connect with each one even though they may all consider me a stranger at first, I feel like I am opening presents. Really awesome, mysterious, living presents.

Each child is a treasure. Each relationship we can develop is a treasure.

Each session, we read a simple book together, books that come in a set so we each hold a copy and take turns reading paragraph by paragraph. I’m a firm believer in the value of reading aloud, even though it can be hard, and it works best in a small group like this.

The first book we read together is usually “The ABC Volunteer,” a sweet story that still often chokes me up, about a fourth grader who volunteers to help an old Mexican man learn to read. As he shares with her how he had to work on the farm when he was her age instead of going to school, her eyes are opened to the fact that going to school isn’t just a chore. He shows confidence in her ability to help him even though she is young, because she already knows how to read.

At the end, he invites her to a celebration at his family’s home, with marvelous Mexican food and music. Then he gives her a note that he wrote. That’s when we realize she had also taught him to write. His note thanks her for choosing to help an old man instead of just playing games with her friends, and she begins to realize what he has given her, too. That’s when my voice often breaks if it’s my turn to read.

The kids and I talk about stuff. They tell me when they’ve helped someone learn something, or about their own grandparents, some of whom live in Mexico. We talk about how nervous the girl was to try something different, and how hard it is for old people to learn new things. We notice that the girl and her mother bring flowers when they come to the party, and I point out that it’s nice to bring something when someone invites you over.

Then I tell them that I’m a volunteer, and I come to school because I love to read and meet kids, not because it’s my job. I think this surprises them somewhat, and gets their attention. I also let them have a little fun sliding their books (carefully, please) down the table when we’re done, and we notice that the convex side of the little paperback book slips better than the concave.

I love my young friends. And, just like the girl in the book, I realize they benefit me as much as I might benefit them.

Winifred Hoffman, of Earlville is a farmer, breeder of dual-purpose cattle and a student of life. She can be reached at newsroom@mywebtimes.com .