Put it in the books!

Hey everyone!

Last week's post was about the broader meaning of education and what it means to the children and us.  This week Jackie and I would like to break it down into specifically what we are doing to bring education out of the classroom and into real life. 

I work specifically with a fourth grade student named Trevon.  Trevon is an extremely smart, quick witted and overall responsible, nice kid.  Trevon, whom I refer to as typically Trey, shared his progress report with me last week.  According to his teachers, he has been doing exceptional in all of his classes which does not surprise me as he takes his homework very seriously.  The only suggestion his English teacher made is that he should begin to challenge himself by reading more difficult books. 

I took it upon myself to challenge him with new books that were personal favorites when I was his age.  Another one of our volunteers, Lizzie (who we will introduce next week) took a field trip with me to Barnes and Noble following our communications class.  We both felt that we needed to cover all the bases.  We chose one book about basketball because Trey loves basketball and we knew this would spark his interest. The other book we selected was Holes, which was a personal favorite of both of ours.  Lizzie and I both love the message of hope and opportunity in the Sachar chapter book. 

When we presented the books to Trey the next week, he was extremely excited.  Before he could even greet me with the typical, "What up Sam", he HAD to ask me, "Did you bring the books?" When I gave him "the nod" Trey's big bright smile lit up the room.  I explained both of the books, particularly concentrating on Holes; the basketball book didn't take much explaining.  Lizzie and I explained that although this book may be challenging, it's a great and fun read.  He quickly responded with, "Oh, I'll be reading that."  After I spoke with him alone, Trey went to thank Lizzie in private.  When Lizzie asked which book he was going to read first, he replied, "I think Holes." 

With love and hope,


Sam & Jackie