Monday, May 16, 2011
AmeriCorps Week Spotlight: Brigid Goggin
Brigid Goggin serves as an AmeriCorps Program Associate with Generations Incorporated. In the above photo, she is assisting George Chavez in a post-reading exercise at the Jordan Boys & Girls Club in Chelsea, MA.
Brigid’s Memorable Service Experience:
Recently I gave a training to a group of Revere Experience Corps members on how to help kids with their writing during a Reading Coaches session. I have been very interested in the training side of the organization and I, along with other Revere Program Associates had observed a need at the sites in Revere.
Teachers were asking for a larger focus on writing and our volunteers were feeling uneasy on how to best help for certain grades. I too was finding it difficult to know how to work with our students since they had very specific expectations in class and they were all at different levels struggling with different things. I decided to close the knowledge gaps and brainstorm ways we could approach the issue. Working with teachers at the Whelan school and talking with the training team back at the office, I was able to put together a set of expectations for each grade and strategies to address those expectations for students at all different levels.
This proved to be the easy part. I don’t mean to say I did not enjoy giving the training. The volunteers were very receptive and engaged during the training, and I felt really good about the conversations that happened that day. The biggest challenge turned out to be the use of the knowledge at the site. Not all volunteers who serve as Reading Coaches were able to attend the meeting, so there were only a few people per site who were on board the writing train. And having the knowledge didn’t open the door to perfect sessions and huge improvements. At first this was discouraging. How could a training be successful if it didn’t magically fix all the problems I worked so hard to address?
But then it hit me. Like all things, the training was simply one brick in the foundation we are working to build to help our students. The whole experience really taught me that all we can do is provide the best tool box possible to our Reading Coaches along with a strong support system, and try our best to connect with the children we see every week. Sometimes, success will be obvious. A 1st grader just wrote a sentence all by herself! A 2nd grader learned about adjectives! On other days, success will be harder to label, but is still present in the connections made between a coach and his/her student or the smile seen on a kids face when they come down to read. I feel very happy to have contributed to the tool box, in addition to the daily support I am able to provide to the wonderful Revere team. And it was a much needed boost of motivation for everyone involved after a long winter. It’s going to be a good spring.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Photo of the Week – April 29, 2011
Last night we held our 3rd annual Between the Lines event to honor Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Carol R. Johnson for her leadership in education reform. (L-R) Nahir Torres of the Boston Foundation, Mary Gunn of Generations Incorporated, Mike Durkin of the United Way, Superintendent Johnson, and Patricia Brandes of the Barr Foundation
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Thanks to Our Friends at Mass Service Alliance for Making this Editorial Possible
Globe Editorial, Posted March 29, 2011
OF ALL THE cuts House Republicans have sought under the banner of trimming the national deficit, the decision to zero out the Corporation for National & Community Service is the most incongruous. The $1.1 billion agency, which is the largest source of federal money to support volunteerism, epitomizes the bipartisan commitment to national service once described by former President George H.W. Bush as “a thousand points of light.’’
Beyond that, the national service program has become an incubator for initiatives — in areas ranging from housing to urban education — promising a more entrepreneurial, participatory approach to addressing public needs. This kind of innovation should appeal to budget-conscious lawmakers, even if it involves some up-front expense.
Continue reading the entire article here.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Photo of the Week: February 3, 2011
Experience Corps member Rose Mozetta and student are all smiles after a reading session.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Photo of the Week- June 17, 2010
After dutifully volunteering all year long, our AmeriCorps & Experience Corps members enjoyed some celebratory dinners over the past week!
