By MARY CHVATAL
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – Each weekday morning, you can find University of Nebraska at Kearney sophomore Akeyli Bush with her legs crossed, sitting in a circle with second graders at Central Elementary School.
Holding flashcards in her left hand, she uses her right to give the students small clues about each letter and emphasize the mouth movements for the corresponding sounds.
It’s a valuable lesson for everyone involved.
“I love kids,” said Bush, an education major from Central City. “This was the perfect opportunity to gain experience working right with them.”
Bush plans to teach 6-12 family and consumer sciences after graduation. To prepare for her future career, she’s spending time in the classroom through America Reads, a federal work-study program coordinated by the UNK Office of Financial Aid.
Through the program, eligible UNK students are hired to work as tutors in elementary and preschool classrooms within the Kearney Public Schools system. They partner with KPS educators to provide additional support and assistance for students, with an emphasis on improving reading proficiency.
Last year, Bush assisted at several elementary schools in Kearney, teaching a wide range of students. Her experience at Central Elementary, in particular, brought her back for another year.
“It was Central that did it for me,” she said. “It’s a great school with great teachers, where I was able to specialize in first and fourth grades.”
Now, she’s focusing on second grade, specifically students in the English language learners section. She works daily with small groups on reading lessons, sounding out words, spelling and practicing pronunciations.
She’s also welcoming them every morning with a warm smile.
“When working with these kids for so long, you start to get really close to them,” Bush said. “I usually give them a compliment in the morning, and they’ve started to catch on. They genuinely enjoy seeing us and offer a compliment back.”
Bush is learning new strategies from Ting Zou, an English language teacher at Central. Students come to Zou’s classroom in small groups, and Bush will often work with one or two at a time to provide personalized instruction.
“She’s been really helpful with how we differentiate instruction,” Zou said. “Some students go faster or need repetition, and it’s harder to do that without extra help in the classroom. Ms. Bush has been great at filling that gap.”
In addition to gaining hands-on classroom experience, Bush is being introduced to different teaching styles.
“When I was in elementary school, I was learning these core practices differently,” she explained. “But, with the new methods and my learning with them, it shows the different ways kids can learn, think and process things.”
‘A Rewarding Experience’
UNK has been participating in America Reads for more than 25 years. Sixteen students are currently involved, earning $15 an hour while working up to 10 hours a week.
The program isn’t just for education majors.
“Since America Reads does involve hands-on experience with elementary-aged students, we do attract a lot of education majors, but every year I have a number of students from other fields who make terrific tutors and love the experience,” said Joseph Campbell, an assistant director in the Office of Financial Aid.
Brooklyn Thompson, a freshman from North Platte, is double majoring in social work and criminal justice. She’s also in her first year with America Reads.
“I realized working in a program like this would benefit me by working with kids one-on-one,” Thompson said. “I’ve also realized how beneficial it’s been in an intrinsic way even without tangible rewards.”
Thompson spends her afternoons at Emerson Elementary, where she works on reading comprehension with third and fourth graders. She’s learned useful teaching skills and gained a better understanding of the students’ thought processes.
“This experience helps me understand kids’ viewpoints on things and how they develop so I can help relate to them better in the future,” she said.
Thompson has only been in the classrooms for a few months, but she’s already built strong connections and relationships with the students.
“When I first came to the classrooms, a lot of the kids didn’t trust me,” she explained. “Over the last few months, they’ve grown to appreciate what I do here. They give me hugs and say hi, and really respect my position in the classroom.”
Like Bush, she plans to continue working through the America Reads program for multiple years.
“It’s such a rewarding experience,” Thompson said. “I’ve enjoyed getting to explore different classes to broaden my perspective for the future. I think I’ll be doing it again next year.”
For more information on America Reads, contact Campbell at campbelliiij@unk.edu.
