Friends at first sight: Joan Ramo and Nikki Thornton

Joan Ramo — or Ms. Jones as students know her — is a Literacy Program volunteer in Nikki Thornton’s 2nd-grade class at El Dorado Elementary School. She and Ms. Thornton hit it off from the start, forming not only a partnership but a friendship built upon flexibility, trust and a mutual appreciation for the work of the other.Q: What was your first impression of Joan?

Nikki: She was just very smiley and positive, and I thought, ‘Okay good, someone with good energy, so I don’t have to worry about that part. I can just focus on what I want you to do.’ So, that was nice.

Q: What is your working style and how do you communicate?

Joan: Nikki and I text. We email. She’ll come to me and say this is what the kids are working on… Nikki is pretty loose and I can do whatever I want. This semester we have a project where each child chose an animal. We’re going to read nonfiction, and then the kids are going to do a poster and a quiz show in the class related to their animal.

Q: What do you appreciate most about Joan?

Nikki: She does one-on-one reading with them, but what I really like is she usually has them do some type of project around nonfiction. They research it and present it for the class. The kids are really excited about it. Then, the kids get to quiz the other kids on what they did. Last year the big thing was butterflies. She brought in butterfly cookies for all the kids to decorate, which was an amazing extension of it.

Q: What’s made your relationship with Mrs. Thornton so successful?

Joan: We get along really well and we appreciate each other, and that really helps. She also gives me a lot of flexibility. From moment one, it was an easy relationship. Easy communication. She’s thrilled that I do anything, and I love to read. I know how she works and what her pace is like and it works for me.

Q: What’s surprised you most about working with Joan?

Nikki: That I would want to chitchat with her about things, not just at school. She’s someone who cares about me as a teacher and me outside of being a teacher. I was very surprised about that.

Q: And I hear some wine sweetened the deal?

Nikki: Yeah, I was thinking, ‘I don’t know if I can put that on this interview.’ It was amazing.Joan: She said she was getting married, it occurred to me that they were doing a lot of things together with their family and she told me they were doing table decorations one night. I texted her and I said, ‘Nikki, I don’t know where you live, but I’m coming over and I’m bringing you some wine.’ I brought her a case of wine and tt turned out to be the wine for their reception. I was happy to help. She works really hard. Anything that she needs I bring. Whether it’s paper plates, or today it was Ziploc bags.

Q: What would you say to someone thinking about becoming a volunteer?

Joan: To me, it’s the most personal way that you can affect a child’s future. It brings tears to my eyes, but the rewards are innumerable. It’s amazing.