8-year-old Miracle makes wondrous milestone in reading
Great wonders unfold when teachers and Club staff team up to help our kids be the best that they can be. Miracle, an 8-year-old Club member, is a shining example of their devotion to shaping Great Futures.
Miracle began the 2015-16 school year with difficulty identifying sounds and letters and decoding basic sentences; but staff at the Center for a New Generation at Connally Elementary Boys & Girls Club say Miracle’s strong will and incredible drive led her to making significant strides, despite the uphill challenges she once faced. The contributions of her Club site director and school teacher also played a big role in Miracle’s growth.
Ms. Hanshaw, her teacher, spent extra time with her after school. She showed Miracle how to apply basic concepts, like phonemic awareness, to improve her comprehension. Miracle’s Club director, Catherine Driskell, would then follow up with computer-based exercises to support Miracle’s classroom learning. There were times when Miracle wanted to give up, but Hanshaw and Driskell reassured Miracle that her hard work would eventually pay off – and it did!
A new Miracle began to unfold right before their eyes. The little girl, known for her passion and strong will outside of the classroom, began to show up inside the classroom, and even in her study sessions at the Club.
“She has addressed some of her deficits and made those her strengths,” Hanshaw said. “I’m so proud of the growth she has made academically and emotionally throughout this journey.”
Although Miracle is now able to read small books with more confidence and ease, studies show that the struggles she initially faced with reading are not uncommon among her peers. The Annie E. Casey Foundation reports that 66% of Georgia fourth graders are not reading proficiently.
For that reason, BGCMA will continue fighting to better equip Club members with the tools they need to excel in the classroom and beyond. Through successful partnerships and collaborations, our vision is to ensure that 90% of the youth being served three days or more per week are on track to graduate on time, live healthy lifestyles and give back to their community. People like Ms. Hanshaw and Ms.Driskell help make our dreams a reality!