Hello Words Alive Community! I’m Helen Rigby, the new Learning Design for Social Impact Intern. I’m thrilled and honored to be given this incredible opportunity to work with an organization I have loved and admired for almost two years.
I became a Words Alive trained reader for the Read Aloud program in November 2021 at a Boys & Girls Club In North County San Diego. I was then the reader at the club for the kindergarten and first grade group for over a year. In January, I became the facilitator for the Adolescent Book Group for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at a North County Middle School.
I loved being a reader to the little ones and then also being able to create a safe space for deeper discussion for the middle schoolers, so when I saw this internship opportunity I was beyond excited!
In hopes to connect with you all better, let me further introduce myself:
I’ve been lucky enough to call San Diego home for almost thirty years.
In December, I graduated with my B.A. in Human Development and a minor in Literature Studies from California State University San Marcos.
I also hold a Creative Writing Certificate with an emphasis in poetry from UCLA’s Extension Center.
In my undergraduate studies I created a reading program for dyslexic elementary students called Reading Warriors. That program was based in theoretical research and implementation strategies that focused on meeting the students where they’re at by using specific books written for dyslexic children in order to improve their reading compression skills like fluency, decoding, recognition, and speed.
Most recently, I wrote the curriculum for (and am currently implementing) a forty-three-book summer reading program called, Bookworms, for kindergarten and first graders at my local Boys and Girls Club. This program utilizes educational and engaging books to support members’ vocabulary development and improve their listening comprehension skills. Each story is followed by a fun activity to inspire creativity and to encourage making new friends.
I greatly enjoy writing curriculum to make reading both fun for children and also accessible to students with reading disabilities. I struggled a lot with reading when I was younger and never wanted to read because it was stressful for me. Once I learned that reading could be fun, it really depended on having access to the right books, I couldn’t stop reading! I fell in love with the quirky and endearing nature of Amelia Bedelia and the hidden island of Mistmantle where animals talked.
I love reading now and I want to help open the door to how fun and wonderful reading is to any child who struggles like I did. The Words Alive mission and programs align so perfectly with what I’m passionate about along with my own relationship to reading. Having interesting, relevant, and engaging books makes reading fun! Words Alive helps children of all ages grow their libraries and grow their love of reading so they can become life-long explorers of the page.
When I was the K & 1st reader and then later as the ABG facilitator, I saw first-hand how shy and distant students grew into excited, focused, and confident readers and participants all thanks to the books, reading guides, and crafts that Words Alive creates and offers. The students’ reading confidence then overflowed into other areas of their lives like their friendships, sports, other academics, leading discussions, and overall self-esteem.
My passion for reading and curriculum writing has inspired me to pursue an online M.A. in Literacy Education and Learning Design from Arizona State University.
Outside of reading and creating curriculum, I enjoy the next best thing, creative writing! I write poetry and fiction and currently have a book published in both of those genres. I was a yoga instructor for five years and enjoy restorative yoga. I also play harps and crystal bowls. I love scrapbooking, crafting, going to different botanic gardens, and snuggling with my ten-year-old parrot, Tobie.
I’m very happy and grateful to be here, and I greatly look forward to meeting and working with you all!
Book Recommendations: For poetry I would have to say The Wild Iris by Louise Glück, for non-fiction I loved Venus & Aphrodite by Bettany Hughes, for fiction I enjoyed Small Town, Big Magic by Hazel Beck.