Who remembers geometry? fondly? Two random points on a graph; connect them, and suddenly you’ve made a line moving in a particular direction. Connect more dots, and suddenly you see a shape! OK, maybe that’s not all geometry, but you get my point.
Picture Josh, a teenager who’s been in and out of foster care, and currently lives in a group home. At 16, he’s bright, well-mannered, and more mature than most of his peers.
Picture Ed, a volunteer through our Life Support program – a mentor who has known Josh for 3 years now; who cares about Josh’s desire to attend college; who is concerned about Josh failing 10th grade Geometry.
Picture Sarah, a stay-at-home mom with two young children – a young mother who decides to volunteer as a tutor for our College Fellows program; who gives her time each week to a kid called Josh.
Picture Ms. Field, a high school math teacher who teaches 5 classes a day; who records the failures and successes of assignments and tests; who gets a phone call from a concerned tutor called Sarah.
As his Geometry tutor, Sarah became Josh’s advocate, reaching out to Ms. Field, asking for incomplete assignments to be re-worked and accepted for partial credit. They work painstakingly and the effort pays off – Josh’s grade increased by 20 points in 2 months, and he passed his recent test! Sarah gives credit to Josh too – he matches her efforts with his own determination.
Sarah encourages others to give even a tiny bit – this can multiply a hundred times for one child. “Even with a busy life of having two toddlers, making time to tutor once a week has made a difference. This program connects you with a great need that can be met in the midst of a busy life,” she says.
Through the work of FGI, Josh was connected with a mentor, who connected with College Fellows, who connected Josh with a tutor, who connected to the teacher, who all rallied together to help Josh succeed. Celebrating life together, the mentor, tutor, and group home threw Josh a party this week for his 17th birthday.
The work doesn’t stop here, but the future’s shaping up to be bright for this young man!