Jessica Cohen, '07
I knew I wanted to be a teacher since about the 11th grade. I had illusions of standing in front of a quiet classroom full of students eagerly awaiting the lesson I had prepared. Tutoring in West Philadelphia schools through the America Reads program, while not dispelling my dream of teaching, has certainly given me a more realistic picture of inner-city classroom life. Reaching out to students and getting them interested in learning is much more difficult than it appears. Nevertheless, this tutoring experience has only strengthened my will to make a difference since it showed me the will and dedication these children can have when given the opportunity and the demand that they succeed. America Reads is a great learning opportunity, not only for the students you will be working with, but even more so for yourself.

 

Terra L. Gearhart, '07
terralg@sas.upenn.edu
Terra is a senior political science and English double major in the College, with a minor in Hispanic Studies. She hails from the Great Southwest (Albuquerque, New Mexico), and has been tutoring at West Philadelphia's Lea School since her freshman year. She has enjoyed her four years of watching her students grow up and learn to read, write, and complete the highly difficult twelve-times tables while she herself has worked on growing up and learning to read Aristotle, write 20-page papers, and complete the highly difficult statistics chi-square table. She is a proud member of the "CCP Owns My Soul" Facebook group, and enjoys literature, politics, dance, the antics of her little sisters back in New Mexico, and talking about herself in the third person.

 

Stephanie Graham, '07
America Reads/America Counts has been one of the most rewarding activities I've been involved in here at Penn.   Working at Drew has enhanced my understanding of public education, has enabled me to partner with dedicated classroom teachers, and most importantly, has allowed me to work with wonderful students.    AR/AC has allowed me to observe veteran teachers, yet has not relegated me to the back of the class.  I have had autonomy in the classroom to develop and execute my own lessons, with the added benefit of receiving input from the teacher I work with.   Moreover, my experience has been instrumental in determining my career path.  Next year I will be teaching high school history in the Mississippi Delta through Teach For America, a decision which seemed a foregone conclusion after my experience with America Reads/America Counts.