Child smiles and expressions at homeless school

by Apple Goodthree

How special it is to see a child smile.

Most of the kids in the school are homeless or have recently experienced it.  One of the most precious people on the planet is a fourth grader named Angel.

The first thing I noticed about Angel is overwhelming extreme shyness.  Or maybe it was simply quietness. She's healthy and not bashful about getting up to sharpen her pencil or get the books she needs but in conversation she is very timid.  The words barely, ever so barely, come out of her mouth.  I asked her what her name is. She had to repeat herself a few times until I understood it.

In observing the class, I noticed that she was behind on her multiplication tables.  I knew I could help.  I asked Angel, "what is two times two?"  She looks straight ahead.  I can subtly see her mind working.  She was patient thinking.  After many moments of pause, she every so quietly and gently said the answer sounding like a very young child pronouncing her r's "wrong".  She said so barely as a question, "foa".

Once when she was in line for lunch with the other kids, I saw her smile and have a moment of silliness.  This is a good thing.  When I talked to her at lunch, she was reserved with short very quiet one-word answers.  A week later, I worked again with her and another girl in the fourth grade.  We worked in the times tables again in a separate classroom.

Angel was ahead of the other girl who had missed months of school.  Still in 4th grade, each girl is well behind.  We built, we practiced and we got better at multiplication.  Still Angel was quiet.  But she was getting it.  She was building confidence.  She knew it.  I asked the girls what color the wall was.  They both answered, "Yellow!"  I said, you will be able to answer your times tables with the same quickness soon.

Yesterday I had a chance to practice with them again.  Angel really moved ahead.  Going through the 5's tables gains momentum and confidence.  She was cookin'.  The other girl has trouble adding.  So, it's all practice.  Repetition will make them stronger.

Also the connection with an adult that is supportive helps.  Gym class was later.  We were late because of our arithmetic session, so we walked out to gym.  I stuck around as gym class in this school has no real organization in P.E, though there was a theme for today and it was volleyball.  Long story short, I was volleying with another classmate.  Angel (who usually sits by herself at recess) came over.  I tossed the ball to her.

She might be the smallest girl in the class but she's tough.  She has more coordination than she may have given herself credit for and was able to volley the ball. It was a confidence building because I had not seen her interact like this.  She has a SMILE on her face for the whole gym class.  She was having so much fun with the three other girls volleying.  We spent the whole class volleying and retrieving our bad shots.  Then she brought the volleyball to the basketball hoop and shot for a few minutes.  When it was time to line up, I had a question about gathering the kids because the gym teacher was gone.  Also, the classroom teacher was not there.

I am not much of a yeller, so I asked one of the louder fourth graders if they could help me gather up the 18 other students to line up for class.  Well right on queue, Angel must have heard me make that request because she yelled and yelled loudly.  She shouted different classmates names.  MICHEALA!  I paused, amazed.  She then bellowed out, SALLY! It was amazing that this girl who had been so quiet was now expressing herself like this.  It was a help to me.  I had a good day.

How special it is to see a child smile... and express themselves!

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Tutoring in a school for homeless children

I feel that the way to lift our society is to embrace some of the weakest populations.  If we empower the weak, it makes the whole stronger.  That's why I love working in my school for homeless children.  Most of the kids are homeless and all of the families are below the poverty line.

True, it's difficult in the school.  Many of the kids have tired looks on their face.  Some fall asleep in class.  We try to feed them breakfast and snacks throughout the day in addition to lunches.  The raw power and talent these kids have is wonderful.  The problem, I believe, is they are not challenged enough.  They can do anything.

When they begin to succeed, momentum builds.  Esteem builds.  I love seeing that.  The children just haven't been challenged enough.  I worked with a fourth grader today who missed three months of school.  She can't read a simple book (like See Spot Run).  She hadn't been able to sound out simple words.  But, I had worked with her the other day and she felt success.  Guess what happened?

Today during recess, she came over to me and brought me a book.  I first thought she was going to start reading it to me.  Then I remembered she had trouble even sounding out words.  The word, "the" was trouble.  All during lunch we read and read.  I began, then she continued.  Almost immediately, she attempted to read.  With assistance she got through a sentence.  Then another.

Then we would repeat sentences for practice.  Not only was her confidence building, but her trust in an adult was building.  You know what else was building?  Her trust in herself.  Later during class, there was a writing assignment.  She finished it.  It was only a half-page essay, but simple writing was a challenge.  Certainly spelling was a challenge.  Even being creative was a challenge.

She came over with a blank piece of paper and sat next to me.  One word and one sentence after the other she wrote, and misspelled, but she wrote.  She was creative and very thoughtful in writing about what she would do for her Mom.  Back to my original point.  Investing time with this population has more rewards than you can name.  Maybe I'll write about them some day.  :)

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