Wednesday is my day with 5th & 6th graders who are full of energy and humor. Math is the challenge for the most part. When a child tries to solve decimal equations with fingers, it's the first clue that tutoring is needed. Cries of "I hate this game" or "I got it!" or "Cool!" fill the computer lab where kids are completing math problems to proceed to the next level in a computer game. This game let's them try to play basketball ... another shows a mountain climber who goes up when you solve a problem. You get the idea. Then they play battleship with misspelled words. Our staff members are great at finding the games, and thank you, they know how to solve the higher math problems in today's mathematics. The first group heads down the stairs for a "pow-wow" where they are working through the alphabet to find words no one else thinks of, with each letter being the beginning of a word that is a name, place, thing, and animal. Our volunteers are the judges to decide whether the word is correct. Great vocabulary builder. Along the way of working with the kids we hear stories about their day, their families, and their hopes and fears. Listening is the greatest gift we can give. And so we do. We could use another helper on Wednesdays, however. I hope we find help soon because one of our volunteers needs time off for surgery, and we need more opportunities for that one-on-one listening. I love it, I bet you would too!!!! –Karen Beshears, Volunteer
Karen Beshears serves as a volunteer tutor/mentor on Wednesday evenings at the SFLC Good Shepherd Campus in Rock Island. Karen served as President of the Board of Directors from 2008-2011. She is also a board member for the local Boys and Girls Club chapter.
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