Education is really about sharing knowledge. Karyn Light, a Year 17 Education Team Member with AmeriCorps St. Louis, created a nature themed reward wall at Dewey Elementary, in northern St. Louis City, to help motivate her students while acting as a literacy tutor. When her pupils met the classroom and lesson expectations for the day, they were rewarded with a petals for their flower. Besides motivating her students, it allowed them to see a consistent, adult role model express her passion about nature and the environment.

Lessons about literacy could focus around nature, gardening, bugs or animals. This provided an avenue for the students' specific nature interests to be incorporated into the curriculum. It also allowed opportunity for their real and tangible counterparts to be incorporated into their lessons, all presented with the enthusiasm and passion that Karyn provided while sharing something she loved.

The AmeriCorps St. Louis Education Team intervenes with children at risk of falling behind in their literacy educations in Title I St. Louis Public Schools in grades K-3. Children learn to read through 3rd grade, but are expected to read to learn by 4th grade. If literacy hasn't been established by 3rd grade, students tend to fall further behind quickly.

AmeriCorps St. Louis' Education Team works because they have the time to build relationships with and focus on their individual students in ways that suit the students best. Without this intervention, many of their students would continuously fall behind their peers. With this experience, the AmeriCorps Members better understand the needs of their communities and can continue to make meaningful changes during their lives.