SummerSALT Program Helps Young Students Learn to Read

By DAVID PANNELL, Northeast Mississippi Each day Journal

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — From the car parking zone, it appears fairly quiet on this shiny June morning on the Orchard Church in Tupelo. However up on the second flooring, issues are buzzing.

SummerSALT — the Orchard’s month-long free studying program for struggling early-elementary-age readers — is in full swing, and the 100-or-so Tupelo-area youngsters enrolled are having a lot enjoyable, they don’t even know they’re studying.

“They don’t even know that is college,” stated Merissa Rambo, who’s in her tenth yr as this system’s director. She stated the catchy title got here from one of many Orchard’s pastors.

“Jay Stanley, who’s retired from the Orchard Northside, got here up with it,” she stated. “He loves an excellent acronym. It stands for ‘finding out and studying collectively.’”

Every year, the Orchard hires 10 licensed lecturers and an equal variety of lecturers’ assistants to guide the SummerSALT program. Together with a crew of volunteers, they spend each Monday via Thursday morning in June serving to struggling readers hone their expertise.

The lecturers, who are inclined to return yr after yr, appear to have as a lot enjoyable as the scholars, Rambo stated.

“We don’t pay in addition to public college, however we take excellent care of our lecturers,” she stated. “We give them what they want, and so they really feel well-loved. Most of them say it’s their favourite time of yr.”

Rambo stated SummerSALT grew out of a want to do “mission work” within the Orchard’s native context.

“We don’t all the time must go elsewhere to make a distinction,” she stated. “We stated, ‘Let’s do one thing the place we reside, for college kids in our personal neighborhood.’”

Rambo stated low childhood literacy charges in Mississippi had been an issue she and others felt they wanted to handle.

“Normally, if there’s a nasty checklist, we’re on the high, and if there’s an excellent checklist, we’re on the backside,” she stated. “In Mississippi, we are usually close to the underside of the literacy charges. We felt like God was calling us to do one thing to assist.”

Issues related to poor studying expertise start early, however they’ve an extended shelf life, Rambo stated.

“Youngsters would relatively be seen as ‘unhealthy’ than ‘dumb,’” she stated. “They act out to maintain you from realizing they aren’t ‘getting it.’ That sample doesn’t change that a lot in adults. When you go to any jail or jail, there’s all the time a excessive stage of illiteracy in that inhabitants.”

SummerSALT’s concentrate on the youngest readers is intentional, Rambo stated.

“Our major focus is struggling readers in kindergarten via third grade,” she stated. “As soon as they’re in higher elementary, they aren’t studying to learn; they’re studying to study. And if they’ll’t learn effectively, they’ll’t study. We need to catch them as early as we will.”

Jail inhabitants and future workforce issues apart, Rambo stated elevated literacy charges have non secular penalties as effectively.

“God is a God of story,” she stated. “We would like these children to have entry to that story and to have the ability to learn it for themselves. We give every child a narrative Bible after they go away as a result of we wish them to know the story of Jesus.”

Jennifer LeSure is a kindergarten trainer at Carver Elementary in Tupelo. This summer season marks her third yr as a trainer at SummerSALT. She stated this system is the spotlight of her instructing yr.

“It’s my favourite time of yr,” she stated. “I like it as a result of we’re allowed to only educate the children and assist them the place they’re struggling.”

LaSure stated this system’s focus and tempo make the training surroundings a pleasing one for lecturers and college students alike.

“It’s enjoyable,” she stated. “They know even when they get it improper, we’re gonna make it proper. We don’t must hurry. We take it sluggish and take so long as we want to ensure it’s solidified.”

LaSure stated although this system solely lasts a month, she and her college students develop a bond.

“On the finish of this system, they’re our new little greatest associates,” she stated. “I get to see them develop over these 4 weeks. They’re so assured after this system; it’s like a brand new youngster.”

LaSure stated the day by day Bible story time is her favourite a part of this system.

“I like the Bible tales,” she stated. “Having the ability to educate and convey God into it’s so particular. You need to have each, for my part. I rely it a pleasure to get to be part of it.”

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