On Monday, February 8th Reading to Kids volunteer Jessica Romero volunteered to be a classroom helper and go to Mr. Salgado's classroom as a reward for being one of our highest recruiting teachers.
The experience proved to be rewarding for everyone involved and both Mr. Salgado and Jessica wrote Reading to Kids to let us know how much the day meant to them.
We were so moved by their e-mails we wanted to share them with everyone:
Good morning Ms. Zwass,
I just wanted to extend my gratitude for having sent Jessica to volunteer in my classroom on Monday, Feb. 8th. Her volunteering in my classroom made an extraordinary difference in my day as she helped relieve some of the work that would have taken hours if not days to do all by myself. With all the cutbacks in the school district, much of the work that was done by others is now having to be done by teachers on top of trying to teach.
My students and I were able to interact with her for a day and enjoyed her company. Having an additional hand in the classroom made a world of difference. Thank you and Jessica for all your help.
With gratitude,
Jose Salgado
4th grade teacher
Gratts Elementary School
Hi Rachel,
I just wanted to say thank you once again for giving me the opportunity to volunteer in a classroom. On Monday, February 8th I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Salgado's 4th class at Gratts Elementary. I have also worked with Ms. Vasquez's Kindergarten class and have also gone in as a reader during the Dr. Seuss Reading Celebration last year and it is always a very fulfilling experience. I am very glad to have found an organization like Reading to Kids which allows me to be active in a cause that is special to me. I personally benefited from an early introduction to reading and it is nice to be able to give back. Now more than ever, especially with the state budget cuts in our educational system, I am very happy to help with the little that I am able to do. It is also an inspiration to see teachers like Mr. Salgado and Ms. Vasquez still willing to make a difference despite the obstacles that they are facing. I would encourage anyone who has some free time to volunteer in a classroom, even a couple hours makes a big difference. It's a win-win situation, they get some much needed help and you go away feeling very good about having done something nice for someone else.
Thanks again Rachel and Reading to Kids for not only inspiring children with a love of Reading but for inspiring me to be a better person.
Jessica
