tutoring

I've been twice to the school where the Literacy Alliance is doing the tutoring program I am volunteering with. Last week, on Wednesday was my first day, and went back again this week. Thus far, it has been much more satisfying and rewarding than my experience remembered from two years ago.

One of the little people I am working with is named Jakieme (that I cannot pronounce properly, even though it appears to be far less complicated than many of the made up names their mamas  invent with numerous accent marks, apostrophes and/or hyphens.) The other is named Nicole, which is surprisingly pronounced just like we would expect. They are doing pretty well with the reading. The Alliance (probably partially funded by the MCSD and private grant money) provides a different paperback book each week, that they are supposed to read every day, and then do a different craft/coloring paper that serves to reinforce the story. Possibly part of the reason I am thinking this is going to be much better than the most unsatisfactory experience I endured a couple of years ago with kids that really had more problems than any group of volunteers could resolve in 30 min. x 5 days a week. I'm thinking that part of the reason it has been a much more satisfactory reading experience is that by the time I get there on Wed., the  little people have already had two days of reading the book together with other volunteers, so there is some prior knowledge, unlike my going in on Mondays when I was doing the program a couple of years ago at another school.

While I was there this week,the time and date just handily, happily, coincidentally coincided with a program the music teacher had planned to show her support of Black History month. (Amusingly, she is not African-American, equally amusingly, there was one little semi-lost Caucasian girl in the forty-plus member chorus that was singing American Negro Spirituals, doing step dancing, quoting MLK's 'I Have A Dream' speech, reading from Langston Hughes, and singing blatantly militant songs.).

It was surprisingly: really interesting.

I only happened to go to the gym, where all the kids were sitting on the floor, and teachers plus a few parents were in folding chairs, to return my two little people to their class. And after reading the printed 'program', decided to stay a few minutes - which turned into an  hour, as I stayed for the entire program.

Which was unexpectedly inspiring. Mostly to see kids with so much enthusiasm and promise, as fifth or sixth grade kids sang, danced, read, quoted from memory, performed for their classmates, teachers and fellow students. Then the principle took over and tried to impress upon the group, of four and five year olds, up through the ten and twelve year olds - who have no concept of making their way in the world - the importance, necessity of  a good 'education = success' in life. I might have been the only one in the crowd who could fully appreciate the true value of his words. There were some young adult boys-to-men in the crowd, a half dozen or so, who apparently are a group of guys from AU who are serving some how as mentors, maybe doing sports or other activities with some of the guys. And mamas, some of who, sitting on the floor, looked as if they could have had babies as young teens. But mostly women, as teachers, parents, guardians who are trying their best to raise a generation to maturity and help them develop the literacy and social skills they will need to succeed.