Turning the page to confident reading
Volunteers needed to help Gresham, Portland elementary students learn to read
When Gresham s Jessie Wheeler first started volunteering with a program dedicated to helping kids become better readers, one first grader she was paired with was shy and unconfident.
The little girl didn t like making eye contact and read so quietly that Wheeler could barely hear her. Finally she looked at me and said, Reading is hard, Wheeler remembered.
But the pair kept working at it every week, with fun games and exercises to build the girl s confidence. Now during their mentoring sessions, that girl can barely contain her excitement when she picks up a book.
Rebholz said her fifth-grade teacher left a lasting mark on her. She changed my life and my trajectory as an educator, Rebholz said of Dir.
Rebholz, 48, grew up in Portland. She s the daughter of former professional baseball player and late Reed College professor Jerry Barta, whose legacy at Reed still lives on in its physical education program. When my dad taught at Reed, there were three student suicides in a year, Rebholz said. He went to the administration and said I want to make P.E. a requirement. I don t care if it s climbing a tree or jumping a rope. These kids need to be active and socialize.