Community Corner
Hand in Hand Founder Takes a Step Back
Dottie Miles, founder of volunteer driven literacy program will be stepping down as leader
Dottie Miles, retired teacher and volunteer was honored last week by her students, co-workers and the Board of Education (BOE), for her work as the founder and program leader of the Hand in Hand Literacy Program at Huckleberry Hill Elementary School.
Miles began the program in 2008 with funding from the Brookfield Education Foundation and a group of 28 volunteers — ranging in age from 16 to 80 — to aid developing readers and writers. Each trained volunteer spends an hour a week exploring the world of books and written language with one student.
"Watching children learn to read and watching tutors share their enthusiasm for reading with their students," has been a source of enjoyment for Miles, who retired from teaching in 2000. "They're all having fun."
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An additional benefit for participating students is the opportunity to develop a relationship with someone they have never met. The experience can be enriching for both the student and the tutor. According to Miles, "They learn to trust that person and to understand that working together once a week is of value to each of them. The academic progress our students make varies, but all learn to like reading and to get more comfortable with writing."
The Hand in Hand Program is based on "Help America Read," a handbook for volunteers by G.S. Pinnell and I.C. Fountas. The authors cite research that shows tutored students can make greater gains than expected and that a structured, ongoing training program for volunteers is essential to the success of this type of program. Tutors show their students by example what it means to give to others, as well as helping improve their reading and writing skills.
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Miles will still be available to the new program leaders for guidance and advice, but says she "will not be an active participant in Hand in Hand."
Originally from Staten Island, NY, Miles has been a Brookfield resident since 1973, when she moved here with her husband Ward. Miles taught in three school districts over the years, including New Fairfield and Brookfield. She retired from teaching in 2000 and began her volunteer efforts soon after.
Miles plans to continue her volunteer work with the Commission on Aging and the Committee for a New Library. She is hoping "to travel and spend more time with our children and grandchildren" in her free time.
