Finding their Voices

When Miya first joined Freedom Readers, she was extremely shy. She wouldn’t raise her hand, wouldn’t volunteer to read aloud, wouldn’t speak up in group sessions. Today? She raises her hand every time. She reads with confidence and volume. Her tutor described it simply: “She has grown so much more confident from her first session to now, and it’s really beautiful to see how engaged and locked in she is.”

Liam came in a struggling reader. Now he’s reading chapter books fluently, asking thoughtful questions about the stories, and standing up in front of the group to present — clearly and confidently. We were so moved by his growth that we named him our Scholar of the Year at his host site. His tutor said it best: “He has a quiet confidence, he’s a thoughtful listener, and he’s a great role model for the littler scholars.”