Miles from Bascom Hill, UW–Madison senior Lauren Chenevert’s Monday afternoon class takes place on a rug shared with 14 antsy third-graders. Her textbook: "Never Smile at a Monkey" by Steve Jenkins.
“'Never harass a hippopotamus' — which I would never do," she reads, adding her own commentary. "They’re huge!"
Chenevert’s voice, friendly but persistent, carries over the restless buzz. Some play with rubber bracelets; others whisper in a corner. One boy saunters in, his arms moving in a tight, cocky groove. He flops down on his stomach with a huff, facing away from Chenevert.
Within minutes, though, he sits tall in the circle, staring intently as Chenevert flips the pages. The buzz subsides as her voice rises and falls, describing spiny creatures on the ocean floor.
Since 2004, Allied Drive Literacy Time has nurtured a partnership between UW–Madison’s School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) and participants in the Safe Haven after-school program, run by Madison School and Community Recreation (MSCR) at the Allied Drive Learning Center. Once a month, SLIS students and other volunteers share a themed program of reading and collaboration with four classes of children in grades K–3.