Everybody Wins!

(Friday, October 14, 2005)

Today I participated in Everybody Win!'s Power Lunch program again. The program matches office workers with school children who need help with reading. The pair meets during the child's lunch time, the child picks a book, the adult reads, months later the child's reading skill improves. At least that's the theory. Last semester I was paired with a first grader who turned out not what I, The Idealist, thought should be. He was rude and had next to zero attention. I would be reading and he would run off to swipe food from another kid, or roll on the floor playing dead, or take long bathroom breaks. He got me real upset one time when he came in and just plain blurted out, "Come on! Go get the books!" I tried to entertain him using my drawing and origami skills, but I didn't think it helped much. Today I learned that he got held back. Oh well, I tried. The kid was already in the hole too deep, hopefully what little I did will help him get out of the hole sooner.

This semester I signed up for a third grader because the lunch hour is better for me. I start work at 10 so when I used to go for "lunch" at 12:30 with the first grader it was a bit too early. Besides, I didn't want that first grader back anyway. I have enough troubles disciplining my own son, let someone else do the parenting or counseling for that kid.