Marble Falls Elementary seeks reading mentors

MARBLE FALLS — Marble Falls Elementary School reading specialist Desiree Guthrie is looking for community members who want to make a big difference in the lives of students.

And all the volunteers really need to do is listen or read once a week as part of a community mentor program for students in kindergarten through third grade.

“One of the main purposes of the program is to expose kindergarten and first grade students to print who might not have benefited from much exposure yet,” Guthrie said. 

“For older students, second and a few third-graders, we want to get them more opportunities to read to somebody and discuss what they’ve read,” she said. “As adults, we often read something and discuss it, but many students still don’t. So, it’s more about comprehension for the older students.”

Guthrie introduced the community-mentor program last year.

“It was a big success,” she said. “It really helped the students who were in it. And several volunteers told me how much they enjoyed it.”

The first grade and kindergarten students she targets are those who need more exposure to print and reading. 

“Children need to be exposed to so many hours of print before they even start school,” Guthrie said. 

“By somebody reading to them, (children) learn how to hold a book; what it looks like to read; and where to look when you read. Many times if they aren’t exposed to print or reading, they can fall behind in school because it takes them longer to learn to read.”

The program also includes second-graders and a few third- graders who still need a little help with reading comprehension, Guthrie said.

“There also a few (high-level) readers who just need more reading time,” she said.

Volunteers will only have read to a student or listen to a child read, Guthrie said.

“They only need to commit 15-20 minutes a week,” she said.

One of the reasons for the program’s success last year was because it focused on not only reading but building relationships between the mentor and student. Guthrie pairs the same mentor with the same student each week.

“By doing it this way where the student sees the same mentor every week, the child gets to know the volunteer so there isn’t always this period of getting to know a person or learning about them,” Guthrie said. “This way it helps build consistency and the child gets more confident.”

Guthrie said she hopes some of the mentors from last year will volunteer this year as well. If they do, she will try to pair them with the students they worked with last year.

But there is still a need for new volunteers.

“It’s a good way to help a student with his or her reading so they might not fall behind,” Guthrie said. “It could make a big difference in a child’s life.”

For more information on volunteering for the program, contact Guthrie at dguthrie@mfisd.txed.net or call the elementary school at (830) 693-2385.