By Roel Taffes, Team Read 2026 Summer Intern
My experience as a Team Read Intern has been one of the most important summer internships I have ever done. I have grown and learned so much about child development as well as the workforce. Team Read has allowed me to become a more independent and knowledgeable person. I learned how to organize my time to fit all my tasks and requirements, paralleling a real work environment. My favorite part of this summer internship was seeing the effect I had on the children I worked with, watching them interact with my reading and activities, and seeing the joy when they learn. When I came to read my final book, Snowflake Bentley, the children came to greet me, were happy to see me, and wondered what book I would read. At that moment I felt that everything I had done this summer was worth it. These are the memories that will shape my future and stick with me; seeing the effects of my actions do something positive.
Literacy is a very important topic; it plays the most important role in an educated and intelligent society (National Literacy Trust, n.d.). Historically speaking, nations with high literacy rates were the same nations at the top, leading development, trade, better administration, knowledge transfer allowing them to expand to their greatest extents and maintain said lands (Roser & Ortiz-Ospina, 2018). Playing a role in children’s literacy and development has been a great honor for me. I’ve learned about child development and how read-alouds with activities help with information retention.
One thing I learned this summer is how important it is for students to keep reading during summer break. During summer break, students who don’t consistently read lose those skills, entering the following school year behind where they ended (Augustine et al., 2016). Through Team Read, I’ve seen the effects of reading for even 30 minutes every day, with students becoming more confident and learning new words and concepts such as evaporation and the water cycle. I can attest to this, as I myself, with the help of my older sister, read every day during my middle school summers, helping improve my speech and understanding. Team Read gives students a time and place to practice their reading so they don’t lose those skills.
Team Read is an amazing program that I’m truly grateful for joining. I’ve learned about workforce habits I should have, hiring tips, how interviews work, the standards someone should hold, independence, and many more skills, I simply wouldn’t have learned anywhere else. I truly am humbled seeing the work Team Read does for students across multiple schools and the effort they put in so students can succeed in the near future and far beyond. To me, out of everything I have experienced and everyone I have met, Team Read embodies this quote the best: “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” – Greek Proverb.