Hello bloggers!
My Ling 1900 experience is somewhat unique. Last year I teamed up with a program called “Reach out and Read.” The “Reach out and Read” program partners with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together. Therefore, for this program I go to Clinica Health Center and encourage/read to children in the waiting room. I also have a mentor at Clincia Health Center and at the end of the appointments we inform families on the importance of reading and then give the child a free book to take home with them. Because I was already involved in this program I was allowed to continue with it AND become a part of the awesome program that Ling 1900 offers.
The patients at Clinica Health Center are often those who speak Spanish. Therefore, I have the opportunity to help the children learn/read English as well as to the opportunity to expand my Spanish. Often I talk to the parents first, asking if it is ok if I read with their child. When I encounter the families that do not speak English I pull out some of my Spanish books. I then start attempting to read Spanish, getting giggles here and there from the children due to my obvious lack of excellence with this language. This gets the children to open up. They often proceed to come over and help me with my Spanish, which in return helps them with their reading! Then after we are comfortable with each other I’ll pull out a beginner English picture book. This is a great way of helping the children read English. Seeing that I mess up at Spanish and need help they are no longer afraid to try reading English and ask for help.
If the child does speak English we take turns reading out loud. I help them with the words they have trouble with and encourage them to read more and more. Often when I’m reading to a child other children become curious and come over to read with us. This is a great way to demonstrate to families how reading can be fun and to help encourage the kids to read!
Overall, my experience at Clinica Health Center has been wonderful. I walk away knowing that I have made an impact in the lives of the kids and families.
