Emory & Henry tutor wants kids to know books are not boring

Emory & Henry freshman Anthony Jones said reading to kids at Meadowview Elementary School benefits him now in the same way he benefited from being read to as a child.

“It helps me to focus,” said Jones, a 2009 graduate of Virginia High School. “It helps me do some of my homework.”

Jones, 18, is one of several college students from Bristol who remain involved in their hometown communities through a tutoring program that returns them to secondary schools.

Jones also volunteers as a math and reading tutor for children at Meadowview and serves as a “lunch buddy,” or lunchtime mentor, as well as playing on the Emory & Henry football team.

“I just want them to know that all books are not boring,” Jones said.

He chooses a wide variety of books with colorful illustrations in his twice-weekly sessions and said he tries to make the stories come alive by exaggerating the voices and sounds of the characters.
“To keep their attention, I try to use stuff that might keep my attention too,” Jones said, recalling how his mother would read to him. He said Three Billy Goats Gruff is still his favorite children’s book.

Carolyn Wilson, coordinator of the 16-year-old Emory & Henry Tutoring Program at the Appalachian Center for Community Service, said more than 50 students participate each semester, working in Washington and Smyth county schools.

“The tutors help children who are struggling and need more attention,” Wilson said.

Also, she said, it’s important for children to be read to.

“Research indicates the more young children are read to, the greater their interest in mastering reading,” Wilson said. “Reading out loud exposes children to proper grammar and phrasing, and it enhances their ability to express themselves verbally.”

Three other Emory & Henry students from Bristol – Samantha Jones, Allan Eccleston and Alex Lyons – also are involved in the program, which has branched out this year to include reading to nursing home residents.

Lyons, a senior at the college and a 2006 graduate of Tennessee High School, also serves as a lunch buddy at Meadowview, and said she hopes the Bristol schools pick up that program as well.

“There are always kids who can benefit from extra attention at school from people they can look to as role models,” said Lyons, who also plays basketball for the college. “Something as simple as having lunch with a kid twice a week, you don’t think it makes a big difference, but it really does.”

Jones said he’s been involved in volunteer work in Bristol since the seventh grade, helping with food distribution, block parties and other events through his church, and credits his mother and religious leaders for pointing him down the path of community service. He also encourages others to give back.

“Everybody was helped in some way, no matter their background and circumstances,” Jones said. “Do something you can be passionate about.”

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