NEA: NEA Today: Reading -- November 2002

Fifteen years ago, veteran high school teacher Pat Heck was looking for a way to engage her reading recovery students when an activity with her advanced students sparked an idea. "I had organized a community service outing in which my advanced students read to elementary students at a nearby school," recalls Heck, who teaches at Red Mountain High in Phoenix, Arizona. There was just one problem: The session didn't turn out the way she'd expected--at all.

The students, normally confident in their interactions in class and with each other, were surprisingly hesitant to read to the small children. "I realized that the students needed training in how to read aloud and explain stories--skills that I had taken for granted as a reading teacher," says Heck.

Once Heck created a method for reading with the young children, the students quickly responded. Heck took notice. "If my advanced students responded this well," she thought, "just imagine what would happen with my struggling readers."

So Heck began to create a reading and mentoring club that connected her students to the local chapter of Reading is Fundamental (RIF), a national literacy organization. "That's how Club RIF and our Reading Buddies project was born," she says.

In Reading Buddies, Club RIF members read one-on-one to second graders at nearby Salk Elementary School. "It's been a joy to see these students work hard at teaching children that pure wonderment comes from reading," says Heck. "Both the student and young buddy often improve."

Today, Club RIF boasts 1,800 members and offers students a variety of activities, from tutoring to collecting books for homeless shelters and students in low-income neighborhoods.

"Club RIF makes coming to school enjoyable and fun," says senior Erika Ortiz. "The service we provide to the children in our community is tremendously worthwhile. I intend to be part of RIF for the rest of my life."

For Heck, the words are like music. "I'm always amazed at how impassioned many high school students become about the importance of fighting illiteracy and fostering a lifelong love of reading," she says.

But success hasn't always been easy. "For my struggling readers, there was much more at stake, and I desperately wanted them to experience success," says Heck. "Many were not read to as children. I figured if they could teach second graders the love of reading, perhaps they would learn it as well."

Heck worked closely with all of her students, helping them learn to develop questions, guide their young readers, and even create activities. The hard work paid off. Many students credit the club with their new outlook on their futures.

"So many of my club members have received scholarships and others have gone on to create tutoring projects of their own," says Heck. Even the national Reading is Fundamental program has taken note.

"There's an old saying," Heck says. "If you want to learn something, teach it. My reading students took that lesson to heart and rekindled their joy of reading by sharing it with others. That's what makes me proud."

--Anita Merina

You Can Do It, Too!

If you're interested in creating a Club RIF of your own, more power to you, says Red Mountain's Pat Heck. Here are her tips for success:

Contact the national Reading is Fundamental, Inc., one of NEA's partners in Read Across America. RIF can help you with materials, local contacts, and suggestions on how to start a Club RIF in your area. Go to www.rif.org.

Approach each RIF event like a coach. Make sure all of the details are in place before you launch your project, and make sure each player knows exactly what is expected of him or her.

Think small at first. Create a tutoring project for one class, not five. Make it manageable and build a solid foundation.

Make sure you organize. Few students are naturally adept at effective organizing, but they are very responsive to directions. Include your students in the planning and they'll be more invested in the project's success.

Make local contacts to help you with your programs. Work with local homeless shelters, Indian reservations, and other organizations for book distributions. Be creative; it makes a big difference to work with the community.

Enjoy the experience. Your students surely will--and that's the key.