“Book Buddy” is a special title I’ve earned for the past 14 years by working with one or two Alexandria City Public Schools first graders each year. Like a number of Cameron Station residents, I volunteer for the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium, a program whose goal is to provide struggling young readers the type of one-on-one support that will help them achieve the goal of reading on grade level by the end of the school year. Each student receives two half-hour tutoring sessions a week from October to May.
It's hard to explain the meaningful bond that tutors develop with their students over the course of the school year. Although the focus is always on getting through the lesson plan, somehow there is always time for conversations about those issues that are uppermost in six-year-old minds—e.g., pets, annoying siblings, losing teeth, finding friends, and birthdays. It’s also hard to describe the joy I have felt each session as my student greets me happily and is often bubbling over with the desire to tell me something—invariably beginning with the phrase, "You know what, Miss Diana?" Although most tutors were attracted to the program by a sincere desire to help children learn, most finish each school year feeling they received far more than they gave. Heartwarming doesn’t even begin to describe it.
And then there’s the bond that develops among the tutors; at least that’s been the case at Tucker Elementary School where most Cameron Station residents volunteer. Tutors have even been known to socialize during non-school hours. Debbie Glenn, who is both the program coordinator at Tucker Elementary and a Cameron Station resident, has been the catalyst for the camaraderie that has developed among the volunteers.
Most important, there is the ultimate satisfaction week after week, month after month, of watching a student become a better, more confident reader. It’s hard to say who is more excited by their progress: the students or their tutors.
I don’t really remember the names of all my former students. Gabrielle was my first, and then came Randy, Radna, Isabela, Patrick, Maryam, and at least a dozen more. Although I don’t remember all their names, their stories are written indelibly on my heart. And I feel almost certain a love of reading is written indelibly on theirs. All the Cameron Station tutors share a similar pride, I’m sure. Most of us have had many titles throughout our lives, but none is more meaningful than that of "Book Buddy."
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