Diversity Opens Doors to Learning:
Minneapolis Seniors for Schools
By Sarah E. Torian

"Do you recognize my accent?" asks Val Jackson. "I was born in Jamaica and moved to England in my teens. I've only lived in Minneapolis for the past 10 years." Jackson is one of 48 Seniors for Schools volunteers tutoring elementary school children in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Although he spends most of his time helping students improve their reading skills, he also occasionally takes the opportunity to use his unique experiences to expose them to different parts of the world. "I try to talk about the different types of food people eat in different countries and areas," Jackson explains, "but right now the children are mostly interested in where the different places are on a map. I do think it broadens their understanding of different cultures and geography."

Val Jackson is a part of the Minneapolis Seniors for Schools project, funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service. It is one of nine demonstration sites that make up Seniors for Schools, a national initiative, enlisting the services of men and women over the age of 55 to serve in teams and make a significant contribution to help children learn to read. This project is an integral component of President Clinton's "America Reads Challenge," working to ensure that every child can read well and independently by the end of the third grade. The eight other Seniors for Schools projects are in Boston, Massachusetts; Cleveland, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; Leesburg, Florida; New York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Port Arthur, Texas; and Portland, Oregon.

Diverse Schools and Students

The Minneapolis seniors currently work in five of Minneapolis' 48 public elementary schools and there is a long waiting list of schools that have requested their services. In the five schools, 48 senior volunteers work with over 300 children. But each school is very different. Two of the schools are "open schools," where there are very few walls to divide classes and people. Two of the schools are "walled schools" with the standard wall divisions and structure. The fifth school is actually in an old Catholic church building that the city is renting so its classrooms are very small. "Each school is almost a city unto itself, where the principal is the mayor," explains Minneapolis Seniors for Schools project director Barb McKenzie. "Being flexible is the key for us. We are amoebas that change in order to work best with a specific school."

The schools also vary greatly in the demographics of their student body populations, demonstrating the diversity of Minneapolis' population. Two of the schools are very diverse. Their populations include Asian American, African American, Caucasian (including Russian immigrants), and English language learner students. Two are predominantly African American (97 and 69 percent, respectively), with Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Caucasians also in attendance. The fifth school is 50 percent Caucasian with the remainder divided between African American and English language learners. "That diversity in a school lets the students learn about each other's cultures and become friends," says tutor Ida Hill, who volunteers at Anderson Open School.

As the Minneapolis project has expanded from the first school, four years ago, to the five it now supports, the project staff has used the reputation of success it developed at the first school to open doors to other schools. But they have also targeted schools that are receptive to volunteer support. "Before we decide to work in a school," explains McKenzie, "we make a point of making sure the school really wants volunteers. All of the schools we serve have been very welcoming."

Diverse Tutors

The Seniors for Schools tutors are frequently drawn from the communities that the schools serve, so they tend to embody the schools' diversity as well. They include African Americans, Caucasians, and several Russian immigrants. They open the students' eyes and minds to other cultures, countries, accents, and ways of living. The children not only learn to read from their time spent with the Senior tutors, but also see their worlds expand.

By reading with Frank Johnson, a Seniors for Schools volunteer who is blind, the children learn that people with disabilities are much more than their disability. "Frank is very open with the children about how he became blind," says McKenzie. "It helps makes the children more accepting of people with disabilities." The children read to Johnson. If they have trouble with a word, he has them spell it out to him and he listens for mistakes by following the sentence structure and storyline. "He is a huge recruiter, inspiration, and spokesperson for the program," says McKenzie.

Bela Osipova moved to Minneapolis from Russia nine years ago. In Russia she was a university professor, but when a neighbor asked her if she wanted to volunteer as a tutor to young children, she thought it would be fun to try. "I had taught big kids. Now I thought I'd try teaching little kids," Osipova says. She knows that her background informs them of global geography, but she is most impressed with the improvements she has seen in their confidence, interest, and ability in reading. "I see the results every day," she says. "They are reading much better and they love to come read with me. They don't want to leave!"

Building Self-confidense in Young Readers

Many of the children being tutored were discouraged before they began the tutoring sessions. They had grown accustomed to failure in reading. For many of them, reading was something to avoid. One of the great successes of the Minneapolis Seniors for Schools project is the boosting of these students' confidence levels in reading.

Val Jackson has witnessed the effects of this increased confidence in his tutees. "Several of the students were apprehensive when reading, but they have become more confident in what they can do. Once they realize they can read, they don't want to stop. Generally, most of them have really improved their confidence levels."

The Minneapolis Seniors for Schools program has been very successful in recruiting volunteers. Last year, there were 30 volunteers working in four schools. This year, that number has grown to 48-36 full time and 12 part time. McKenzie attributes much of this growth to the focus group meeting they held during last summer break. "We asked the volunteers to be ambassadors for Seniors for Schools." McKenzie explains. "We challenged them to tell their friends about it and recruit 20 people."

The focus group sessions were not organized solely to increase recruitment. Their original purpose was to keep the volunteers connected during the summer months. "We wanted to tell volunteers about staff changes happening over the summer and we also knew that our reports about the project would be greatly enhanced if the volunteers were a part of the process," McKenzie says.

The volunteers were asked to describe their work, the number of children they tutored during the year, and the approximate amount of time spent with each. They also relayed the stories of their biggest successes, surprises, and disappointments and expressed how much they thought their volunteerism had improved the lives of their tutees. The focus groups also provided an opportunity for the senior volunteers to voice any suggestions they had for improvements in the upcoming year. "The focus group meeting was a real success," says McKenzie. "We are making plans for another one this summer."

As the Minneapolis Seniors for Schools project continues to grow and expand, more children will strengthen their reading skills and confidence and learn about the diversity in their city and the world. Ida Hill, who has been tutoring at Anderson Open for two school years, sums it up: "It is really uplifting to be around the children and to know that you are helping them to be successful learners and to be successful citizens. I see them really come alive!"