色色啦

KENNESAW, Ga. | Jun 23, 2021

Sanjuana Rodriguez, an associate professor of reading and literacy education at Kennesaw State University, sees herself in many of the schoolchildren who are participating in the 鈥檚 annual .

During the four-week summer camp, which runs through Friday, Kennesaw State students and faculty members provide tutoring and educational activities for elementary school children who are below grade level in reading. Many of the Fast Start participants鈥� parents did not attend college, which Rodriguez can relate to as a first-generation college graduate herself. Rodriguez sees Fast Start as an opportunity for the children not only to boost their reading skills, but also to think big about their future as they鈥檙e spending time on a college campus.

鈥淚 think this program provides the children with an opportunity to see what could be,鈥� said Rodriguez, who teams with associate professor of reading education Megan Adams as co-directors of KSU鈥檚 . 鈥淚 think what鈥檚 most important about Fast Start is the impact to kids that the University is having. It鈥檚 a way for us to serve our local community while also being a great opportunity for our teacher candidates in the Bagwell College of Education.鈥�

Adams added that 鈥淔ast Start is even more important now than ever before鈥� as research indicates that many K-12 students suffered setbacks academically and/or socially during the COVID pandemic. Some students struggled with remote learning, including some who lacked necessary resources at home.

Fast Start grew this year to 40 participating children through Marietta City Schools partnering with the Bagwell College. Marietta City Schools identified children in its district who would benefit from the program and provided data on each student鈥檚 reading level so the tutors would have an accurate starting point for their instruction and evaluation. In addition, the school district is providing bus transportation, breakfast and lunch for every day of the camp.

鈥淲e are fortunate to have a strong, ongoing partnership with Kennesaw State University,鈥� said Grant Rivera, superintendent of Marietta City Schools. 鈥淭he Bagwell College of Education and programs such as Fast Start provide learning enrichment opportunities for our students that are critically important, especially as many of our children recover from the learning loss that occurred during the pandemic.鈥�

Now in its 20th year at Kennesaw State, Fast Start returned to an in-person camp this summer after being conducted in an online format last year. Helping to design the camp鈥檚 curriculum and leading lessons in a classroom setting has provided valuable experience for Denia Carbajal as she prepares for her first in-person student teaching this fall.

鈥淭his is great practice for when I鈥檒l be doing face-to face instruction in a school for the first time,鈥� said Carbajal, who is tutoring rising second-graders at Fast Start. 鈥淵ou form relationships with these children and you really care about them.鈥�

Along with future teachers being involved in Fast Start, Jidea Flahnma also is working with the children. Flahnma learned about Fast Start last year from her best friend, an , and now is taking part for the second straight year.

鈥淚t is very rewarding to see the progress the children make in such a short time,鈥� Flahnma said. 鈥淜ids learn so fast. They have come a long way in four weeks.鈥�

鈥� Paul Floeckher

Photos by David Caselli

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 色色啦. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.