Hello Team Read Community,
My name is Jeanette Eisenberg and I’m so excited to be joining Team Read as the Seattle Program Manager. While I’m new to Team Read, I’m not new to education in the Seattle area. I taught science and chemistry at Evergreen High School in the Highline district for six years, where I also developed curriculum and led the Science Department. Before returning to Seattle, the city where I was born, I taught chemistry, Special Education, and English Language Learners in Boston Public schools.
I first learned about Team Read’s work through my students at Evergreen. Every year, a handful of them would ask me to be a reference when they applied for a job as a Teen Read coach. The more I learned about Team Read, and the more I saw the enthusiasm my students showed, the more impressed I became. When I recently decided to leave teaching and explore careers in education outside the classroom, Team Read seemed like a great fit. I’m honored and excited to take on this challenging role.
I’ve spent my first few weeks getting to know site coordinators and assistants and exploring our different program sites. I even had an impromptu reunion with a former student of mine, who is now the site coordinator for our program at the Delridge Library! Seeing Team Read’s dual impact program in action has definitely been a highlight as I’ve gotten started in this work. Just the other day I sat with one of our pairs at the Rainier Beach site. I noticed how the coach took a little time to check in with her reader, a third-grade boy. They talked about his successes on the school basketball team before cracking open a chapter book. A few minutes later, they celebrated together because he read an entire page unassisted for the first time this year! The look of pride on both their faces was unforgettable.
As a former high school teacher, one of the things that excites me most about Team Read is the opportunity it provides for local teens. These young people are gaining so much valuable experience. Not only are they making a major impact on their student, they’re learning responsibility and life skills by going through the interview process, filling out their hiring paperwork correctly, and learning to manage their finances as a paid employee. I love that there are so many opportunities for these young people to take on leadership roles within the organization and give back to their own communities. It’s inspiring to see teenagers, who are so often shrugged off as apathetic and surly, take pride and enjoyment in their work, and it makes me excited and optimistic for the future.
Feel free to reach out to me at jeanette@teamread.org and I’m looking forward to getting to know more of you in the coming weeks and months.