ruwayda-and-coach-isatoukimhieng-and-coach-melodyKimhieng was so excited to meet her Team Read coach, she could barely sit in her seat. “I told my dad, I want to do Team Read!  I’m so happy to do Team Read!  I’m so happy to see my tutor!”

Melody, Kimhieng’s coach, did her best to contain this enthusiasm. “I want to build a bond with Kimhieng, to help her build her reading skills,” said Melody, now in her second year as a Team Read coach.

Both coach and student beamed as they worked.

This October, Team Read launched at eight elementary schools in Seattle, with 200+ teenagers coaching more than 200 students. Shifts in bell times for the district have made it challenging to schedule program times at some schools, but Team Read is working with principals, teachers and site coordinators to plan afternoon activities before teen tutors arrive at their sites.

All the effort is worth it when you see the big Team Read grins.

Asked what she hopes to accomplish in Team Read, 2nd grader Ruwayda shouts, “I want to learn a lot!”

First-year tutor Isatou is excited to work with Ruwayda. They have already selected books at Ruwayda’s reading level and set reading goals for the coming weeks.

“I want to help her get better, to improve as a reader and improve the pace of her reading,” said Isatou.

Team Read runs twice weekly at each of our schools, from now until the beginning of May.