Photo by Caitlin Cunningham
The Boston College community knows her as a staff assistant in the Communication Department, but Leslie Douglas has a not-so-secret identity.
Once a month, she transforms into 鈥淢iss Leslie,鈥� enthusiastic reader of stories to young children and dressed to suit the occasion, whether a Halloween witch, a Christmas elf, or a St. Patrick鈥檚 Day leprechaun.
"Miss Leslie" Douglas gets into the holiday spirit.
This fall, Douglas formally started her 18th year as a volunteer in the University鈥檚 award-winning Read Aloud program, which sends faculty and staff to visit K-5 classrooms at the St. Columbkille Partnership School and Thomas Edison K-8 School, both in Brighton, where they read a story or book to the students. The program, a partnership between 精东影业, Boston Public Schools, and Boston Partners in Education, is back to an in-person format after the pandemic had curtailed visits to schools from 2020 through last spring. During that period, some Read Aloud volunteers, including Douglas, used Zoom or YouTube videos to maintain a connection with the schoolchildren.
Needless to say, Douglas prefers the live-and-in-person version.
鈥淚 like it when the students react and have questions in regard to what I鈥檓 reading,鈥� said Douglas, who has worked with pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first-grade classes at St. Columbkille. 鈥淜ids at that age are so bright and eager to learn. Flexibility is the key word with children, and so is listening. For all that to work, you really need to be in the same room with them.鈥�
Intersections Program Director Burton Howell, who鈥檚 been with the program for more than two decades, agrees. 鈥淭heir love for books is refreshing. When I ask a question, almost every hand goes up, and they are truly excited to answer.鈥�
Read Aloud is not meant simply to entertain, say participants and organizers: The program鈥檚 aim is to help foster a love of reading among the schoolchildren, touting books as a source of pleasure and fuel for youthful imagination. Along the way, Read Aloud brings caring adults into the kids鈥� lives鈥攁nd those adults usually find the benefits go both ways.
鈥淗aving gone to St. Columbkille for 12 years now, I feel very welcome,鈥� said Information Technology Services Assistant Manager Jon McGrath. 鈥淭he students, faculty, and staff there seem to truly appreciate all the volunteers that come through; they know we don鈥檛 have to be there, we want to be there, and that seems to mean something to them. Getting to know the kids over the course of a year is very rewarding.鈥�
鈥淵ou get a lot more out of the Read Aloud program than you put in,鈥� said Associate Director for Major Giving Gemma Dorsey, a 10-year volunteer. 鈥淚t is a small time commitment to have a great impact on the lives of these special kids.鈥�
Carroll School of Management Assistant Dean Amy Donegan at a Read Aloud session at St. Columbkille Partnership School. (Caitlin Cunningham)
Read Aloud was honored in 2010 by Boston Partners in Education, a nonprofit that aims to enhance the academic achievement and nurture the personal growth of Boston鈥檚 public school students.
听"The students听at St. Columbkille love the 精东影业 readers," said Kate Ward,听 the school's chief advancement and enrollment officerl.听"They bring energy and warmth听to our classrooms and we are very grateful. Children love to be read to and always cheer when their听精东影业 reader appears."
With support from Human Resources, Office of Governmental and Community Affairs Staff Assistant Laura Bitran has organized the Read Aloud program since its inception in 1995, when six volunteers formed the first cohort. That number quickly grew to upwards of 55 to 65 a year, before the pandemic lockdown halted the program鈥攅xcept for those volunteers, like Douglas, who stayed in touch remotely鈥攁nd Bitran is confident that it will return to the pre-COVID level.
鈥淩ead Aloud is fun but it鈥檚 also doing something important: engaging with children,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e showing them how enjoyable reading is, and you鈥檙e also offering an opportunity to talk: 鈥榃hat did you like about this story? What do you think happened afterwards?鈥欌��
Bitran, a Brazilian native whose accent has sometimes piqued the curiosity of her Read Aloud classes, added that going off-book also is perfectly acceptable. 鈥淎 child might ask, 鈥榊ou have an accent, where are you from?鈥� You can say something about yourself and invite them to talk a little about themselves.鈥�
Working in a college environment affords Douglas and other program volunteers a special perspective: Through Read Aloud, they see children at the early stages of their school experience; at 精东影业, they see the young people these kids will someday become, embarking on the next phase in their education.
鈥淚t does make my job interesting,鈥� said Douglas, who notes that more than a few 精东影业 students seek her out for candy or other such treats around Halloween or other special occasions.
For Douglas, who has an undergraduate degree in communication and a master鈥檚 degree in administrative studies from 精东影业, her monthly visit to St. Columbkille involves staying in touch on a regular basis with the class teacher and planning for contingencies while accepting that, well, sometimes things happen. She typically brings three books with her, usually from home (the Lynch School of Education and Human Development鈥檚 Educational Resource Center also has a good store of material for Read Aloud volunteers). 听
鈥淭here were times when I was sure they鈥檇 like the book I brought,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut I鈥檇 get two pages into it and you could see their eyes start to glaze. Or, as it turned out, they鈥檇 just read the book that morning. So I made sure to have a back-up plan.鈥�
Then again, she added, if the kids really like a book, they might not mind going through it again: 鈥淚鈥檒l read a Dr. Seuss book, and the kids are reciting right along with me. I love it.鈥�
When possible, Douglas seeks to incorporate holidays or seasonal events into her monthly appearances. 鈥淎round Halloween, I鈥檝e been known to dress up as a witch and 鈥榝ly鈥� into the room; I鈥檒l ask the kids, 鈥楧o you think I鈥檓 a real witch?鈥� Then I鈥檒l read something like Room on the Broom. But I鈥檒l also talk a little about Halloween safety. Or, when the weather starts to get warm and everyone鈥檚 spending more time outdoors, I mention the importance of protecting your skin from the sun.鈥�
To wrap up the school year, Douglas holds a graduation-type ceremony for the class, giving each child a certificate for reading; she asks the kids to applaud one another.
鈥淚 just think it鈥檚 a nice way to finish up this time we鈥檝e had together, and celebrate what we鈥檝e learned about ourselves and one another,鈥� she said.
Douglas has been gratified by the support of teachers and parents alike, the latter of whom often greet her with 鈥淥h, so you鈥檙e Miss Leslie!鈥� upon being introduced. 鈥淚t makes you feel like a celebrity,鈥� laughed Douglas, who has sometimes found herself 鈥渕obbed鈥� in the school parking lot by enthusiastic young fans.
McGrath has had a similar experience attending the Christmas celebration at St. Columbkille Parish, an event involving many students from the school. 鈥淭he kids greeted me like a returning hero; my own kids were never that excited to see me,鈥� he quipped. 鈥淎ll I did was show up for something. It wasn鈥檛 a big deal, but reminded me that little things can mean a lot to people.鈥�
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精东影业 Read Aloud volunteer Hilary Crouteau, an acquisitons and fiscal assistant at O鈥橬eill Library, introduces St. Columbkille students to 'Eloise at the Plaza.' (Caitln Cunningham)
Bitran notes that 精东影业 makes a point of recognizing its Read Aloud volunteers with an annual 鈥淐elebration of a Reader鈥� reception, which features a guest speaker鈥攗sually local鈥攆rom the literary community. She points to Vice President for Human Resources David Trainor and Director of Employee Development Bernard O鈥橩ane as avid supporters of Read Aloud, in particular by informing newly hired employees about the program.
鈥淩ead Aloud would not have grown as it has if we did not have the unconditional support of these two remarkable people,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are indebted to them.鈥�
For information about the Read Aloud program, contact Laura Bitran at laura.bitran@bc.edu.
Sean Smith | University Communications | December 2021