Northwestern Mutual Makes 'Time to Read' With Oak Creek Students

For the sixth year, local elementary students are getting to spend time at a major local company for some one-on-one reading and mentoring.

"Time to Read" is a literacy program sponsored by the Northwestern Mutual Foundation that has offered opportunities for its employees to take time out of their work day to read with children. Employees in the Franklin offices partner with in Oak Creek, focusing on peer-mentoring with fourth- and fifth-grade students.

Kids meet every Tuesday for one hour, eat a healthy snack and meet with their mentor.

"It's the highlight of my week to see how happy they are to be here, seeing all their smiling faces," said Toni Hamrick, Time to Read program coordinator for Northwestern Mutual. "It's very rewarding."

Each year, they pick out a book to read and then divide into small groups to read aloud, uniting the mentors and mentees by enjoying the same book together. This year the book is "James and the Giant Peach."

After the snack and group read, mentors and mentees break off for one-on-one time. Each week, students can bring a book, magazine or other reading material that they would like to share with their mentor or mentee. However, they may just choose to spend their time talking, which is where the mentoring part comes into play.

"It's been very rewarding," said Hamrick, who started out as one of the mentors and now coordinates the program. "We do a lot with the kids. Like with the mentoring program, it's nice to pair them up with someone they can talk to who will listen to them. Parents have said that their kids start reading on their own, so they're getting more out of the program than just enjoying the social aspect."

The program is only for select fourth and fifth graders who are chosen not necessarily because they have problems reading, but because they could benefit from extra time with an adult.

The student must prove to be responsible, respectful and keep up with their school work, Cedar Hills teacher Kelly Simon said.

"They get to spend time with an adult getting a one-on-one connection that’s different than with a parent," she said.

"They are so thrilled when they are selected to be a part of the program. Fifth graders who went in fourth grade will beg me to let them go again."

Students do a lot of different activities associated with reading. They have taken field trips where they learn the importance of reading ability to get a job; they went to a candy factory; and they will be taking a trip to the Wisconsin Humane Society.

Northwestern Mutual also has people from the Milwaukee Bucks, the humane society and other organizations speak about reading and how it's important to what they do on a personal and professional level.

"We definitely want it to be an experience that’s different than school reading," Simon said. "Something that's fun and different. For the kids, it's just a wonderful opportunity because they aren't being told what to read - they're doing it on their own."