Major: Psychology
Idaly Del Rello hasn’t been teaching her whole life, but it seems that way.
She interned at Lincoln Literacy in the summer and fall of 2023. Being a student helped shape her classroom approach while her previous experience teaching English at the Asian Cultural Center allowed her to put her ideas to use.
“I hate lectures,” she said. “You want to make activities where they’re actually incorporating the skills you’re teaching them.”
Growing up in Lincoln, Del Rello lived the double-track life common for children of recent immigrants; she spoke Spanish at home and English at school. Her parents were familiar with Lincoln Literacy, and that knowledge led her to sending in her resume last year.
“I wanted to take my skills and impact what was already being done,” Del Rello said.
Last fall, Del Rello taught five Lincoln Literacy classes on top of her courseload as a student. How did she manage that?
“The key is organization. I kept a journal of how everyone reacted to the activity,” she said. “A lot of my lessons I can manipulate to make easier, or harder. That helps with planning.”
Another key is being willing to correct mistakes.
“You want to be caring and compassionate but you also don’t want to sit back and say, ‘Yes, that was correct’ even if it wasn’t,” Del Rello said. “That’s the biggest mistake tutors make – they don’t want to hurt (the student’s) feelings.”
Without such correction, students will not improve, she said. Del Rello, who now works at Nebraska Appleseed, said she loved her students and respected the sacrifice they were willing to make to be there. One of her students would sometimes come late to class because of his work schedule.
“There was one time he was 30 minutes late, and if I’m 30 minutes late to a class, I’m not going,” she said.
She asked the student why he’d make the effort to show up when class was partially over. His answer stuck with her.
“He said, ‘every minute is worth it,’” Del Rello said.
