“In the sentences he wrote and illustrated, Jose occasionally allowed me to go on an adventure with him and Spiderman. ” —Declan Gould
Declan Gould, Member 2007–2008
When I first began working with “Jose,” an energetic and competitive kindergartener who knew only five of the 30 letters in the Spanish alphabet, I did not look forward to our lessons. He proclaimed every book I read him “boring,” and didn’t hesitate to let me know if he didn’t feel like singing the alphabet, writing in his alphabet book, or learning a new word.
Over the following weeks and months, I, with the help of the invaluable support structure ACEE provides its tutors, learned how to use Jose’s hands-on learning style, interests (Spiderman, professional wrestling, and his big brother), and competitiveness, which often got him into trouble in the larger classroom setting, to help him learn. Not only were Jose’s reading, writing, and phonological awareness quickly growing, so was our friendship. When I was in the classroom helping other children, his eyes followed me around the room; when it was time for him to read to me, he grumbled but did as I had asked; and in the sentences he wrote and illustrated, Jose occasionally allowed me to go on an adventure with him and Spiderman.
Jose faces a lot of challenges at home: He appears to be the scapegoat who takes the blame for his stepfather’s son’s misbehavior, and during a parent-teacher conference his mother, who according to Jose doesn’t help him with his homework or read him bedtime stories, threatened to send him away if he didn’t start behaving better. I have no control over these circumstances, and I don’t know what will happen to Jose as he gets older and the challenges he faces increase. But during the eight months that I have been tutoring him, I provided him with encouragement, individualized academic attention, and a positive role model. In addition, Jose is now able to read beyond grade level, and instead of me coaxing him to read, he now demands that I let him read “One more book!” before sending him back to class.
Teaching ESL to eight recent immigrants whose children attend Lucy Read Pre-K has allowed me to get another perspective on the challenges that face low-income families. The hope and sense of humor that the students in my class seem to maintain despite the financial and social challenges they face is surprising and humbling: Francisco, father of two, works ten hours a day five days a week, but is still motivated not only to attend English class two nights a week, but to amuse his classmates by cracking a few jokes during every session he attends. Meanwhile, timid Yolanda, mother of two and Burger King employee, got a second job working at McDonald’s in order to finance her daughter’s upcoming quinceañera celebration.
Equally inspiring are the dedicated teachers who continually fight an uphill and uncertain battle for their students’ success. Like them, I believe that individualized, informed academic attention, such as the tutoring that ACEE provides, tremendously increases an at-risk child’s chances for success in and outside of the classroom.
Although I will say have to say “goodbye” to Jose, Francisco, Yolanda, and many others at the end of my term of service, I expect to retain the sense of empowerment and responsibility for the community that the past nine months have given me. I will continue beyond ACEE with a deeper appreciation for the conveniences and opportunities that I have enjoyed, and a greater understanding of the complexities of the situation of a low-income child and his family. I’ve always felt that I should use the skills and knowledge that I am so lucky to have to contribute positively to the lives of others, but doubted of my ability to do so. My ACEE experience has shown me that I can, and therefore must help those who have not been as lucky as me.