Fun in the Sun Staff Story

Kerstin served as a program leader for a third-grade Fun in the Sun class.  She grew up in Santa Barbara, but never realized the advantages she'd had.  Discovering the real toll of summer learning loss for students from low-income families was a revelation for Kerstin.  She came to realize how hard life could be for many of her students.  Each morning Kerstin's third-graders would discuss and then write about a "question of the day."  At the beginning, it was hard for some students to write more than a single sentence.  But by the end of the program, they were writing for almost 30 minutes straight.  The students in Kerstin's class grew through use of the innovative Power Reading program, but it was the sense of community that gave them the confidence they needed to succeed.  "It was a safe space for them" Kerstin reflected, "and the sapce to dream is a privilege."  Kerstin feels it has been her privilege to help these budding scholars develop big dreams for their future.

 

*To preserve anonymity, the names in the story have been changed.

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