Spotlight on a Pair

Juan is a bright, energetic and happy 6th grader.  Every time he arrives with his tutor, Maury Denniston, into the reading center at Los Arboles Elementary School in San Jose, he is eager to begin the session.  Juan loves to read, and has made amazing progress in the year he has been in the Reading Partners program.

Juan is the only student at Los Arboles who completed the entire comprehension curriculum and then began the reading and interpretation of novels. This is a significant achievement.  His tutor has said, "Juan is reading so much better than he was, he really enjoys it!  He is interested in a lot of subjects - I tell him that if he reads about things he likes, he will learn a lot about them."

Ms. Denniston began working as a tutor with Reading Partners with a primary-aged child.  When she was approached by the Director of Programs to also consider working with an older child, she was at first hesitant, stating that she had limited experience with 6th grade children, and wasn't sure if it would be a good match for her.  But she decided to give it a try, and by the end of their first session together, both Maury and Juan were laughing and enjoying each other;  their bond continued to grow over the year.

Juan says that the best thing about Reading Partners is the way his tutor helps him read the book.  "She (Maury) also helps me with spelling and understanding what I read."  When asked if there was something that Juan would like to change about Reading Partners, without hesitation he said, "I like it the way it is!"