“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
– Abraham Lincoln
Today, being Thursday is the day I tutor/mentor at the Alternative School. The student population consists of students who have been expelled, are pregnant, consistent trouble-makers or have missed over ¾ of their classroom time. Mrs. Raver, the lady in charge of the program and assistant dean, told me that this English type program was designed to help urban kids fall in love with reading. It opens their minds to new ways of thinking while strengthening their reading and writing skills. My favorite part is that it’s not a big time investment; all I have to do is read with the student and create brief writing assignments for them every now and again that correlate with the book. On the day of my interview Mrs. Raver said they paired up females with females and males with males. However, come my arrival on the first day, Mrs. Raver met me at the door and said that after our interview and quite a bit of thought, she had changed her mind and made an exception to the rule. I was being given a notorious, 16 year old trouble-maker named Lorenzo who was expelled from school due to threatening a teacher and causing daily classroom disruptions. Despite his unruly behavior Mrs. Raver said that Lorenzo did have a growing wonderment of reading and appeared to be pretty open minded/positive about his second chance at education. (Could there be hope for him after all?!) With the opportunity to skip his social-studies class once a week to read with a mentor, Lorenzo raised his hand and soon found himself being introduced to me a week later. Looking back Lorenzo tells me that he had no idea then what are tutoring sessions would be now… and frankly neither did I! Since February his skills have improved, his writing is better and his thoughts are more organized. But, in all honesty, I think that I have learned more from him than he has from me. Lorenzo lives in a house with his 24 brothers and sisters. Some are constantly coming and going, others are in prison, his mother and grandmother don’t seem to care as long as the younger ones don’t get arrested. This is evident by the extreme lack of concern toward Lorenzo’s education and the amount of independence he is given. Despite the "lack-of-love" so to speak, Lorenzo would die a thousand deaths for his mother any day of the week. He has told me numerous times that his future will not be like his mother's, that no matter what he’s going to get out. There is a sense of determination and fearlessness in his face and tone when he talks like this; one can’t help but wonder where it came from or how someone could obtain it. We talk about random things all the time from the latest rap record to fights outside of school; it’s awesome that he feels that he can tell me… In the end Lorenzo never says "thank-you", maybe no one ever bothered to tell him how… As I walk him to his next class he always turns and gives me the biggest smile, yelling down the hall as I walk away: “Don’t even think of standing me up next week! You better be here!!!” It makes me laugh and my heart says: No Lorenzo I have much to much to learn… So how does a kid like Lorenzo find joy in his life? How does he find the strength to laugh and forgive on a daily basis? How did he learn to live this way?! Where does he get his inner strength and determination for the future? Funny how our world yearns for these things but many who could teach us these qualities go to schools with kids the world has written off as “failures”, unworthy of time or personal investment. Mrs. Raver says that it’s hard to find tutors because it’s strictly volunteer work, with no money involved few find this time investment worth it. Not a Thursday goes by that I don’t walk out of Peoria Alternative filled with a new richness that only a person like Lorenzo could give me. Without a doubt, it's definitely worth it...
I pray for Lorenzo at night along with a whole list of other people. Perhaps tonight you could pray for him too… say a prayer for all the Lorenzo’s in our world, determined searchers pursuing a light that is just out of their reach. God grant them courage, grant them faith in the dreams you have instilled within them. But most of all Father, help them feel your Love.
Today, being Thursday is the day I tutor/mentor at the Alternative School. The student population consists of students who have been expelled, are pregnant, consistent trouble-makers or have missed over ¾ of their classroom time. Mrs. Raver, the lady in charge of the program and assistant dean, told me that this English type program was designed to help urban kids fall in love with reading. It opens their minds to new ways of thinking while strengthening their reading and writing skills. My favorite part is that it’s not a big time investment; all I have to do is read with the student and create brief writing assignments for them every now and again that correlate with the book. On the day of my interview Mrs. Raver said they paired up females with females and males with males. However, come my arrival on the first day, Mrs. Raver met me at the door and said that after our interview and quite a bit of thought, she had changed her mind and made an exception to the rule. I was being given a notorious, 16 year old trouble-maker named Lorenzo who was expelled from school due to threatening a teacher and causing daily classroom disruptions. Despite his unruly behavior Mrs. Raver said that Lorenzo did have a growing wonderment of reading and appeared to be pretty open minded/positive about his second chance at education. (Could there be hope for him after all?!) With the opportunity to skip his social-studies class once a week to read with a mentor, Lorenzo raised his hand and soon found himself being introduced to me a week later. Looking back Lorenzo tells me that he had no idea then what are tutoring sessions would be now… and frankly neither did I! Since February his skills have improved, his writing is better and his thoughts are more organized. But, in all honesty, I think that I have learned more from him than he has from me. Lorenzo lives in a house with his 24 brothers and sisters. Some are constantly coming and going, others are in prison, his mother and grandmother don’t seem to care as long as the younger ones don’t get arrested. This is evident by the extreme lack of concern toward Lorenzo’s education and the amount of independence he is given. Despite the "lack-of-love" so to speak, Lorenzo would die a thousand deaths for his mother any day of the week. He has told me numerous times that his future will not be like his mother's, that no matter what he’s going to get out. There is a sense of determination and fearlessness in his face and tone when he talks like this; one can’t help but wonder where it came from or how someone could obtain it. We talk about random things all the time from the latest rap record to fights outside of school; it’s awesome that he feels that he can tell me… In the end Lorenzo never says "thank-you", maybe no one ever bothered to tell him how… As I walk him to his next class he always turns and gives me the biggest smile, yelling down the hall as I walk away: “Don’t even think of standing me up next week! You better be here!!!” It makes me laugh and my heart says: No Lorenzo I have much to much to learn… So how does a kid like Lorenzo find joy in his life? How does he find the strength to laugh and forgive on a daily basis? How did he learn to live this way?! Where does he get his inner strength and determination for the future? Funny how our world yearns for these things but many who could teach us these qualities go to schools with kids the world has written off as “failures”, unworthy of time or personal investment. Mrs. Raver says that it’s hard to find tutors because it’s strictly volunteer work, with no money involved few find this time investment worth it. Not a Thursday goes by that I don’t walk out of Peoria Alternative filled with a new richness that only a person like Lorenzo could give me. Without a doubt, it's definitely worth it...
I pray for Lorenzo at night along with a whole list of other people. Perhaps tonight you could pray for him too… say a prayer for all the Lorenzo’s in our world, determined searchers pursuing a light that is just out of their reach. God grant them courage, grant them faith in the dreams you have instilled within them. But most of all Father, help them feel your Love.
