For the better part of my life I have spent my weekends involved in some type of enrichment program. All through elementary school it was church. I would show up for choir rehearsals or other activities with the youth. Once I got to middle school, I became a James Farmer Scholar. This organization carried me to high school. Almost every Saturday morning I would ride the school bus to (what was then) Mary Washington College. I'd meet up with other students from neighboring divisions, and we'd have classes and sessions to help us in bettering ourselves (e.g., field trips, SAT prep, arts/crafts/speech making, etc.). There were even summer sessions, and we'd stay at the college for a week and enroll in "college" courses.
When I went away to college, I didn't immediately take on doing anything. School work and adjusting to a new environment were enough for my plate; however, during my junior year, the sorority I belong to saw a need to assist in the community. We brainstormed, outlined, and presented a plan to a nearby middle school that excitedly agreed to work with us, which birthed the group Project D.I.V.A. While it was rarely our Saturday mornings that were occupied, Fridays like clockwork we'd make our way to Berkeley Middle to work with our group of young ladies, helping them with typical adolescent troubles. The greatest joy is the program still exists, and my undergraduate chapter is still working with the school.
The first year I began teaching, two of my colleagues formed the program Rites of Passage. The purpose of the program is to train our students in man-/womanhood. There are anywhere from 24 to 42 sessions in a given school year, and we discuss all sorts of topics. Each year the program has shaped itself around the needs of our kids and number of volunteers we have. The first year there were times where there may be only 1 to 3 volunteers with 50 kids. The blessing has come in our college volunteers that have taken a love and passion for our youth. We've had Saturdays this year where there were more volunteers than students! Our students and volunteers love the program. It is so awesome to see the students grow over the period they're involved with us. Some of the students that never get recognized for good things sparkle while with us.
Very seldom does this part of my life ever seem like a job or task. Firstly, I've never asked for or received pay to do it. The pay that I have been offered goes directly back into the budget that funds the program. Often, my friends and co-workers applaud my efforts in giving back my time on the weekends, but they fail to understand the paybacks that come from giving just a few extra hours each week. The established relationships and lives that are impacted make it all worthwhile. These students call, email, and hunt me down to make sure I know what is going on with them...
Last night I spent time on the phone with one of my kiddos. She is in high school and has come so far! In middle school, she stayed in trouble and lived in the office. Her attitude was poor and she'd fight anyone. Now, she is making good grades and setting the example for her peers. She wanted to share with me the accomplishments of some of our former students that have recently been accepted to college. She also wanted to make sure I was following her advice of eating and drinking something warm to get better soon. And, of course, we had to discuss her work for the week: Any tests or quizzes? What are your grades looking like? Do we need to get to the store for supplies or over to the library? I am responsible for her, and she knows I am here whenever she calls.
I also I have my two little knuckle headed boys that have yet to fully pull together the lessons we teach. It was no surprise on Saturday when they shared having been somewhere Friday night they had no business being and running from the police (sigh). They both begged me to show up for their AAU game to show support. They didn't get that I was sick!
And, I'd be remissed if I didn't highlight the one that is even making me think to type this entry tonight. My youngin' that I began working with at the high school where I worked last year. Her homelife is a rough one. She doesn't have a relationship with her mom, and she is desperate for attention. She has so many talents but is a follower, easily falling into the wrong crowds. So, she emails me tonight that she could possibly be pregnant. I have to stop. Think and process, knowing that this child has so many strategies. What I know is that she wants a reaction, which I can't give no matter how pained I am...Then I refuse to make contact because this gives her the audience she wants. I have to focus on the key word: "possibly". Until it is confirmed, I play cool. I have taught and shared with her all that I can. Her decision to do a grown action is in her hands; she has to be prepared for the consequences that follow.
Majority of the students that I mentor are of color. This is what keeps me down but determined to do all I can. I despise the achievement gap that exists in my division, in the state, in the nation...I hate that in the 15 or 16 thousand some school divisions in America, Black females and males rank at the bottom in ALL categories for test scores and academic achievement. My heart bleeds that educators try to fit us into a box and feel they cannot teach students that look like me. We're a topic of discussion at workshops, faculty meetings, and teacher work rooms. Our students believe the lies and misconceptions and would rather boycott the classroom than prove the teacher wrong, which is why the drama teacher sits in my office so badly wanting to put on the musical "The Wiz" for next year but desperately trying to figure out if the students of color will come out and participate...
On most days I love my job and that I can be and make a difference in the lives of those I see. However, there are moments of discouragement where I just want to scream because I feel I am getting nowhere and the kids truly do not get all of the sacrifices and struggles of those fighting battles for them on so many levels. I look at the television and see the politics of this presidential election. I turn on the radio and listen to the latest debate on Sean Bell. I want my babies to wake up, be recognized, and to shine because they are all so very capable. I want my talented highly qualified colleagues to believe that ALL children can learn. I want parents to feel they have a responsibility of exposing their kids to literature rather than giving them cell phones and setting them free at New Town on Friday nights.
Good or bad news they know that whenever they call me, I'll be there. They are my joy and my purpose for this life.
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