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ENLARGE
Ten years have now passed since I started my volunteer career with the Foster Grandparent Program. After all this time, it still amazes me each year how much satisfaction I derive from working with these beautiful fourth-grade students and the knowledge that I made a difference in their lives as well as their reading and learning abilities.
This year, however, the need is far greater than ever before, especially in the third grade. You catch your breath at the inability of some of the third-grade students who cannot read a first-grade paragraph. You cannot blame the schools or the teachers whose mammoth workloads keep them from giving these needy children the extra time required.
So who do you think is picking up the slack in Douglas County? You betcha, the Foster Grandparent Program. So important are we today, that in my school, we are considered darn near staff, our presence so vital, we are thanked constantly for our time and expertise.
The proof is not simply the academics of reading, but the desire and the enthusiasm built up over a series of months to change a child from being wild or depressed into a learning machine who's ripe for competition and growth.
How do we do this? At first a smile, a long look into their eyes, maybe a joke. I know a Foster Grandparent who greets his students on a Monday morning with, “You didn't get married over the week-end, did you?” Wow, what a laugh erupts and the day begins on a high note. I myself always ask, “What's new and exciting in your life?” A moment to stop and think, and then a non-stop flow of information comes forth. Instantly these children become viable people — someone is interested in their lives.
Sadly, this year has been the worst I have seen. Did you know there are children who go to work with a single parent at night and sleep in a chair while Mom labors through the night? Did you know there are parents who fight in front of their children, destroying any shred of self-confidence? How about a child whose two siblings steal everything he has in his pockets and backpack, causing him to fight for what is rightly his, while the parents, so self-indulged, have no idea what is going on right under their noses?
And so these children come to school, their bodies tired, their minds so cluttered with fear and depression, there is no room to learn — but yes there is — 20 to 30 minutes each day with a Foster Grandparent who issues confidence, listens patiently, has direct eye contact and when the trust is gathered, learning begins.
Having the opportunity to travel during my lifetime, I am blessed with the knowledge that I can share with these lovely children. They laugh when I describe my first camel ride, my fear at being so high off the ground, and my surprise at finding this young animal to be so loving and friendly. Their eyes glow when I tell them of my snorkeling experience on a coral reef in the South Pacific. Nothing can compare to the angelic look on their faces, all the while picturing my descriptions.
As the year progresses, and confidence grows, a natural competitive sequence takes place. As an example: Johnny may ask, “ How is Katie doing?” I choose not to hide this information since competition is good for the soul, therefore, if the truth reveals that Katie is doing better than Johnny, Johnny will invariably say, “I'll be there in no time,” or “just wait until next week.”
Charting the results of this yearlong program shows explicitly the progress of a student and at year's end. That chart is sent home for the parent to witness. In September 2010, the fourth-graders we worked with began reading at the second- and third-grade level. In June of 2011, four were reading at a seventh-grade level, and the rest at a sixth-grade level.
Yes, we can call the Foster Grandparent a success.
Sheila Lawrence of Roseburg has celebrated her 10th year with the Foster Grandparent Program and is a published author of three novels. She can be reached at slawrence8305@charter.net.
This year, however, the need is far greater than ever before, especially in the third grade. You catch your breath at the inability of some of the third-grade students who cannot read a first-grade paragraph. You cannot blame the schools or the teachers whose mammoth workloads keep them from giving these needy children the extra time required.
So who do you think is picking up the slack in Douglas County? You betcha, the Foster Grandparent Program. So important are we today, that in my school, we are considered darn near staff, our presence so vital, we are thanked constantly for our time and expertise.
The proof is not simply the academics of reading, but the desire and the enthusiasm built up over a series of months to change a child from being wild or depressed into a learning machine who's ripe for competition and growth.
How do we do this? At first a smile, a long look into their eyes, maybe a joke. I know a Foster Grandparent who greets his students on a Monday morning with, “You didn't get married over the week-end, did you?” Wow, what a laugh erupts and the day begins on a high note. I myself always ask, “What's new and exciting in your life?” A moment to stop and think, and then a non-stop flow of information comes forth. Instantly these children become viable people — someone is interested in their lives.
Sadly, this year has been the worst I have seen. Did you know there are children who go to work with a single parent at night and sleep in a chair while Mom labors through the night? Did you know there are parents who fight in front of their children, destroying any shred of self-confidence? How about a child whose two siblings steal everything he has in his pockets and backpack, causing him to fight for what is rightly his, while the parents, so self-indulged, have no idea what is going on right under their noses?
And so these children come to school, their bodies tired, their minds so cluttered with fear and depression, there is no room to learn — but yes there is — 20 to 30 minutes each day with a Foster Grandparent who issues confidence, listens patiently, has direct eye contact and when the trust is gathered, learning begins.
Having the opportunity to travel during my lifetime, I am blessed with the knowledge that I can share with these lovely children. They laugh when I describe my first camel ride, my fear at being so high off the ground, and my surprise at finding this young animal to be so loving and friendly. Their eyes glow when I tell them of my snorkeling experience on a coral reef in the South Pacific. Nothing can compare to the angelic look on their faces, all the while picturing my descriptions.
As the year progresses, and confidence grows, a natural competitive sequence takes place. As an example: Johnny may ask, “ How is Katie doing?” I choose not to hide this information since competition is good for the soul, therefore, if the truth reveals that Katie is doing better than Johnny, Johnny will invariably say, “I'll be there in no time,” or “just wait until next week.”
Charting the results of this yearlong program shows explicitly the progress of a student and at year's end. That chart is sent home for the parent to witness. In September 2010, the fourth-graders we worked with began reading at the second- and third-grade level. In June of 2011, four were reading at a seventh-grade level, and the rest at a sixth-grade level.
Yes, we can call the Foster Grandparent a success.
Sheila Lawrence of Roseburg has celebrated her 10th year with the Foster Grandparent Program and is a published author of three novels. She can be reached at slawrence8305@charter.net.
