When Zografia and her family got settled in Minnesota after moving from Greece, she looked for an opportunity to get involved in her new community. However, she didn’t know if anything would suit all her needs: a flexible part-time schedule so she could prioritize her family, an opportunity to use skills from her previous jobs, and a chance to make a real difference. Reading Corps has checked every box!
At first, she worried that her accent may prevent her from serving as a Reading Tutor, but she quickly learned otherwise.
“It was so nice to hear, ‘Hey Zografia, our language is spoken worldwide, and there are different accents. We want our kids to be aware that there are different accents.’”
With that worry out of the way, Zografia still had some other concerns to take care of before she could commit to AmeriCorps. Because her son needs some extra support, Zografia’s weekly schedule would have to be flexible. Serving part time with Reading Corps has worked perfectly.
“First of all, it’s something steady,” she says. Serving during the school day, Reading Tutors’ schedules are regular and predictable every week. “Secondly, I had the opportunity to choose how many hours I could serve. For me, that’s crucial.”
Zografia is grateful for the kindness she and her family have received at her son’s new schools. When she first saw an open tutoring position at the school he attended, she jumped at the chance to get even more involved in the community that had welcomed her son with open arms.
“The support that my kiddo received all those years in his elementary school and the people who were so supportive to me: I felt that these environments would be friendly and familiar to me,” she says.
On top of the flexible schedule, tutoring also allows Zografia to flex the intellectual muscles she developed back in Greece as an archaeologist. Having earned a master’s degree in Mediterranean art and culture of the Byzantine Era – roughly 330 to 1450 CE – Zografia knows that reading well is the foundation of educational success. As part of her research, she studied the history behind the art and worked for several museums, including the National Research Center of Greece. In fact, she even tutored students in Greek language and history, experiences that have helped her connect to Reading Corps students.
All of these aspects of her life – her family, her career, and a desire to give back – aligned perfectly when she joined Reading Corps.
“I was trying to find a job that would give me the flexibility to support my kid and do something for myself and my community. When I had the chance to use my knowledge and my background, and at the same time be useful to somebody, why not?”
Are you looking for something flexible while still making a big impact? Become a tutor! With opportunities to serve 18, 25, or 35 hours a week, tutoring can fit into a variety of schedules. Learn more and apply at join.readingandmath.org.