I Can Go A Week Without Writing

Having thought over the hours that I have spent volunteering, instructing and filming at the summer literacy program at Grady High School in Atlanta, I can tell you that this much is fact: I am exhausted.

The story of how I got involved with teaching high schoolers to read and wound up taking photos from atop a 45-foot perch starts with my cousin and close friend, Jake. He is a teacher in the special education department at Grady, and this is his third year as director of the school's summer reading camp. Jake initiated the program upon noticing that, for many high school students, reading was major obstacle in achieving academic success. Take a 9th grader who can't read and tell them they will be tested on the material covered in chapter 1 of their science book. The student tries to study, can't read or even begin to comprehend the material, and the fails the test. This pattern is repeated in most schools, not just this one particular public high school in Atlanta, and it is an unfortunate one to say the least.

I still can't figure out how illiterate students pass from grade to grade. There is an answer, I am sure of it, and it is most likely multi-faceted and laced with all sorts of complexities that I have simply not researched adequately enough in order to speak more intelligently to. So, I choose to sum it all up and place the blame on two words: the system. Feel free to join me.

The literacy program started last Monday when 18 students and a handful of teachers and volunteers met in the Grady High library. For two hours, Jake lead us literate adults in supervising small groups of students, ranging in intelligence, developmental disabilities and attention span, as they worked thorough a set reading curriculum. The kids sound out letters phonetically, read words and phrases, and eventually move on to short stories, all read in 60 seconds or less in order to advance to the next level of letters, phrases and stories. When they make a mistake, you correct them immediately. When they walk away from the group to socialize with friends, you suggest that reading or studying the material might be a better option. And when they read 170 words in a minute, you tell them how proud you are of them and push them to read 177 next time around.

The program works. It works for the kids who show up everyday despite the fact that, technically, this is their summer vacation. It works for the kids who recognize that they need help when it comes to reading. And it works for the kids who respect us adults. When Jake asked if I could be at school everyday to lead reading instruction and also film the students, I couldn't refuse. It's half teaching and half making a short documentary. It's extremely challenging, rewarding and a lot of fun. Take last Wednesday, for example. I joined the group on the ropes course at a local high school for some team building. We spent all day climbing ropes, walking wires, and desperately clutching onto one another while suspended 45 feet in the air. I was terrified but also able to shoot some great pictures.

I'll be working at Grady till the end of the month and I'll try and let you in on as much as possible. I'll also try not to pass out from mental exhaustion. I don't know how teachers do it day in and day out. They deserve all the credit in the world, especially Jake. He never fails to bring the kind of energy that inspires you to try and reach one more kid. Hopefully, our film comes together in the end and inspires one more child to participate, one more instructor to volunteer their time, and one more donor to dig deep and help fund another literacy program next year.