For many aspiring teachers, the road to the full-time classroom role is an uncharted path: the pressures of teaching are challenging enough on their own, but ensuring you have the right experience, skills, and licensure make it hard for many to get started. For Hillary, a Reading Corps alum, her journey to becoming a third-grade teacher started with a desire to make a difference and then a leap of faith.
After studying education and spending a year volunteering with underserved students in Kansas City, Hillary settled in Wisconsin with her future husband, and she began looking for another opportunity to work in education. She came across an opening for a Reading Corps tutor in Taylors Falls, just over the border in Minnesota. It seemed like a promising next step to teaching.
“I signed up, got the position, and packed my bags” she says. “Hearing about Reading Corps’ success and knowing that it would be so influential in students’ lives was an opportunity I’d been thinking about since high school.”
Building a Foundation
Hillary served in Reading Corps for two years, working with students who needed additional literacy support. She found the program fascinating and fulfilling. Especially after her earlier educational work in Kansas City, Reading Corps’ structure and support made service a dream come true.
“It was so well-organized, and I felt so supported,” she says. “Even before working with kids, we had training and practice with our coach that was really helpful.”
Serving as a Reading Tutor reinforced the fact that every student learns to read in slightly different ways and meeting students where they’re at helps immensely. The interventions provided by Reading Corps were powerful tools to bridge the gaps between students’ learning styles.
“Reading is so impactful, and AmeriCorps really focuses on the importance of reading for children to function in the world” she emphasizes. “Even ten years in, I’m still fascinated by how different it is for every child. You want it to be a one-size-fits-all process, but it’s just not.”
Forging Ahead in Education
While she loved her time as a tutor, Hillary had her sights set on a full-time teaching position, even talking with administrators about applying to future openings. At the time, the district didn’t have anything available, but Hillary stayed patient and hopeful, knowing she was in the right place, making a difference.
At the end of her service year, that patience paid off: the principal offered her a position, not in a traditional teaching role, but as a special education paraprofessional. It wasn’t what she originally envisioned, but she embraced it as another chance to grow. She spent a challenging but rewarding year as a para before being offered her first chance at teaching full-time. Thanks in no small part to her time tutoring, she felt confident she had the skills necessary to lead a classroom and accepted the job.
“Reading Corps gave me the ability to see challenges through a different lens with reading and a toolkit of what works,” she says.
Hillary started teaching kindergarten before transitioning to third grade, where she’s been for the past ten years. Though she has long since moved from tutoring to teaching, Hillary continues to use Reading Corps proven, science backed strategies to support her students.
“I still use things like duet reading and repeated reading in my classroom,” says Hillary. “And when we talk about fluency in meetings, I feel like I can really contribute.”
The Impact of Service
Her time in Reading Corps has also made an impact well beyond her own classroom. Many of the students she worked with in those early years have since graduated, and she still hears about their progress. Knowing she played a part in helping them on their journey to success has been a delightful highlight in her career.
Hillary’s success has made her a firm believer in Reading Corps’ mission, both for what it does for students and for careers like hers. For anyone who is curious about teaching or aspires to be an educator, she encourages them to consider the program.
“In a heartbeat, I’d tell someone to do it,” she says. “You learn so much! Things that will help you in ways you don’t even realize at the time. And the best part? You see the impact firsthand.”
For Hillary that trust has led to a fulfilling career in a community she loves. Proving that a passion for teaching combined with the right opportunities can shape a bright future. If you want to learn more about life as a tutor, and all its benefits, visit us at join.readingandmath.org/life-at.