I plan on joining a program at the library called Reading Buddies to help young kids achieve a quality education. I will explain the meaning of difficult words, help with pronunciation, talk to them about what happens during a book to make sure they understand the story. I will also encourage the kids to read as much as they can. By doing this, I will be able to address one of the United Nations sustainable goals. I think this is a good action to support the United Nations sustainable goal of quality education. I believe it is important that children find passion for knowledge and education from a young age. This helps them build interest in what they’re learning about instead of just doing it for the sake of doing it. Reading Buddies is a program that supports children who are new readers and helps to build their confidence and improve their skills. I will be paired with a kid, and we will spend time reading together in a supportive environment to improve their literary skills. As I have already started planning for this, I do not have many steps left to complete in order to begin my action. I have completed some steps already. These steps include filling out an online application where I talked about my interest, hobbies, experience, ext. Next I had a interview conducted and lastly I attending an orientation. My first session will be this week!
Throughout the Ted talk, something that stuck out to me was Winnie’s story. She had to make a tough decision, but in the end, it was worth it. “Everything is complicated” related to this story, as there are pros and cons to every decision. While she was able to achieve a degree and own a store it meant going against her parents. In the end she got what she wanted but it was the complicated decisions that allowed her to get to where she is today. Since she decided to go to school, she had to distance herself from her family. But if she had not decided to go to school, she would not have been able to continue her education. Another example where there is more than one perspective on the situation is elephants in Kenya. They are important to wildlife conservation, but they ruin crops. Elephants can ruin crops by walking over the fields of grown crops. These crops are relied on to feed families. When they’re ruined, there’s nothing left to feed the families. On the other hand, elephants are important for wildlife to preserve the natural environment. Some complexities I may face in this action, include keeping the child engaged when they may lose focus during our session. During this time, when they are complaining about reading, I can take over and read a few pages. Another challenge could be building a relationship with a child who is really shy. They may not want to talk to me, but I can continue to help them feel comfortable and confident to help them warm up. Lastly, they could not know what their reading level and not know what book they want. During a time like this, use the five-finger rule. If they do not know more than five words on a page, you should level down on the book, I learned this during the orientation.
What I’m doing is sustainable because not only will this action benefit the kids, but also me. The kids will improve their reading skills, and some may find passion for reading through this program. Some students will also discover new interests. They didn’t know they enjoyed it. For example, some may start reading books about animals because they find the information interesting. It’s also sustainable for me because I will learn skills from this program which will benefit me in the future, such as job interviews and leadership opportunities. This program provides long-term benefits, which can help students and other subject areas as well. I will also be able to use the skills. I learned from this program about future volunteering opportunities. For example, during the job interview, if I’m asked to describe a time when I showed strong leadership skills. I can talk about my action that I did. By sharing my knowledge with others, I could make a positive impact on their lives.
The action I am doing is providing an opportunity for both me and the students. I have a chance to give back to my community and share information I know with them. They have an opportunity to learn more that they may not have known before. This action is providing an opportunity for the children, as they are improving their reading skills and building confidence to read in front of others in a supportive environment. Additionally, I have an opportunity to develop my communication, patient and leadership skills which will help me in the future. Habits that children build at a young age will stay with them throughout their lives. Often it is better to learn something at a young age than at an older age. Doing this action will show them the importance of quality education.
