Photo By Michael Strasser | Pam Seidenberg, volunteer library aide, demonstrates how to use one of the musical...... read more read more
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Nov. 8, 2024) -- It’s kind of brave giving a group of young children some noisy musical instruments to play inside a quiet library.
But for the sake of education and inspiring kids, Pamela Seidenberg was given the opportunity to try, and it worked. The children went along with the lesson, had fun, and learned something new.
During Parent Tea with Ms. Pam on Oct. 30, children were encouraged to play along as their moms sang nursey rhymes at the Robert C. McEwen Library. She also read them a children’s book where they repeated the rhyming words in the story.
Seidenberg said the focus that day was on developing phonemic awareness, language, and literacy skills by using rhythm and rhyme activities. Previous sessions delved into topics ranging from learning about colors and shapes, expanding children’s vocabulary, and teaching parents how they can maximize reading time for their children.
As a Fort Drum volunteer, Seidenberg has found different ways to be helpful over the past 10 years at the library. She also volunteered with Army Community Service’s Army Family Team Building program.
“I started volunteering here more and more because I don’t like being retired,” she said. “After having a career and such an active, busy life as an Army wife, mother, and educator, I felt I was really helping other people, and I wanted to continuing doing that in some way.”
Seidenberg’s career as a speech and language therapist, special educator, school administrator, and learning consultant spanned 30 years and concentrated on learning disabilities, especially reading. When her husband, a retired Army colonel, was assigned at Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty), North Carolina, she volunteered to teach reading to small groups of kindergarten and first grade students in the school district on post.
“A great population to work with are the military children,” Seidenberg said. “They are at their best. They were so loving, and their parents were so appreciative of every little thing you do.”
She said volunteering her time as a library aide has been gratifying because it allows her to stay connected with military families, while contributing to their overall readiness.
“A lot of people really have no idea about the added stresses and challenges that families have while serving,” Seidenberg said. “But they are wonderful, they are adaptable, and they are deserving of our support. This is my way to give back to the military, and it’s a great experience.”
Karisah Brock and her children have been attending Parent Tea from the beginning.
“We began attending just to get a little help in certain areas of education with my kids,” she said. “The reading interaction has been helpful. She’s really good at explaining ways to boost their vocabulary. There were words I barely realized my kids were listening to and they’ve implemented it into their daily vocabulary. So, this has been very beneficial for all three of my children.”
Brock said the Parent Tea is also a way to connect with other spouses and, sometimes, that extends outside the library.
“One of the benefits has been the social interaction and meeting parents who have kids of similar ages,” she said. “My kids love it. This is one of their favorite places to be.”
Early reading ability can be an enormous boost for a child entering school. To that end, Seidenberg also helped to establish the Parent Information Center at the library, which she stocks with educational activity packets, articles about different areas of child development, and crafts for families to do at home.
“My focus is preschool to second grade, mostly, but sometimes I’ll put higher level things in there,” she said. “There will be information and activities about reading, math, vocabulary, fine motor development, and other educational topics. And it’s all free for parents to take home and try different activities with their children.”
Dani Reed, Army Volunteer Corps program manager, said that Seidenberg has accumulated nearly 3,000 volunteer hours at the library.
“I think the Parent Tea is great,” Reed said. “She is so wonderful with the children and the parents, and you can see that she really cares about what she is doing.”
Reed said that volunteers who draw from their own experience and expertise can significantly enhance the quality of support that organizations provide the military community.
“Those opportunities are everywhere, and Pam took her skills and background to develop something really special,” she said.
The next Parent Tea is scheduled at 10:15 a.m. Nov. 13, with the topic of why it is important for children to learn basic math skills. To register, call (315) 772-9099 or stop by the front desk inside Robert C. McEwen Library, Bldg. 4300 on Camp Hale Road.
(Editor’s Note: This is the first in a limited series on volunteerism, leading up to National Volunteer Appreciation Month in April.)
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2024 07:51 |
| Story ID: | 484927 |
| Location: | FORT DRUM, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 161 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Parent Tea brings Fort Drum families together for shared learning experience, by Michael Strasser, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
