Dozens of teen reading coaches are graduating from high school this year and will soon begin a new adventure, equipped with the career and life skills they’ve developed in Team Read. In a recent survey of of high school seniors in Seattle and Highline, 75% of respondents said they will be attending a 4-year college and 25% will go to community college.
Many of our 12th grade coaches received significant awards or scholarships, including an Amazon Future Engineer scholarship and internship, a Provost Award from UC Davis and a BECU Foundation Scholarship. Also exciting is that almost 40% of our Team Read coaches are considering teaching as a career!
As seasoned reading coaches, we wanted to hear from these teens about their experience and what advice they would give to new coaches. Here’s what they said:
“Get creative when it comes to finding strategies for working with your kid, track your data, and don’t be afraid to ask your coordinators and other coaches questions—they have a lot to offer.” – Thea
“Create a strong relationship with your student because they learn better when they are having fun. Let them lead, and support reading independently.” – Laila
“Finish your homework and other responsibilities earlier so that you are able to show up for your Team Read student.” – Jente
“Get to know your kid. Be patient with them and do everything you can to support them both intellectually and mentally.” – Anika
“Be patient and know that every student (and person) is different so you have to adapt sometimes.” – Catalina