Matt & Joseph working on biology homework

One resource that he’s found extremely valuable in helping him to balance those equal yet seemingly disparate challenges is “The Zone.” Run by the Boston Scholar Athlete Program* (BSA), the Zone at Excel High School in South Boston is mandatory for all student athletes. “It’s not just for students who don’t have high GPAs. If you’re on a sports team, The Zone is for you,” said Chon’tel Washington, Zone Facilitator, of the Red & Blue Foundation who is onsite at Excel daily. The school sees The Zone as an extension of the teams. Boston Partners in Education has helped to supply volunteer academic mentors to BSA since the program started three years ago.

The Zone is a time and place for student athletes to do their homework, help their peers, or work with a tutor. Students are encouraged to request a tutor if they are struggling with a subject. This is exactly what Joseph has done for the past two years.

“Last year they had ‘The Zone’. I had a test in Honors Chemistry and I needed help. I did well on a test, so I knew that [getting a tutor] worked for me.” This year he worked with an academic mentor in biology. I asked him if many other students request volunteers for themselves. He said, “They don’t take the time to meet with a volunteer. They don’t see the benefit in it.”

Joseph does see the benefit, however, and even though the football season has ended, he keeps coming each week to work with his volunteer, Matt Kramer.

Sports are more than just a common interest that Joseph and Matt happen to share. Matt, a Harvard graduate, is a professional baseball player currently playing in the minor league for the Boston Red Sox. “I had a lot more free time now that school is finished. I always wanted to volunteer in college, but never had time for it. I have some free time now and a biology degree, so why not help?” said Matt. In his off season he trains six days a week, but still manages to find time to volunteer.

Joseph at the Celtics game

Joseph has invested a great amount off time and hard work on his own and with Matt that he hopes will be rewarded in the future. Something he didn’t expect from his investment, however, was that he’d have the opportunity to be a Ball Kid at a Boston Celtics game on February 15. We were so impressed by his dedication to his school work and athletics that we nominated him to participate in the second annual Mentoring Night at TD Garden. The Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation (BCSF) and Mass Mentoring Partnership organized the evening for which BCSF donated more than 150 Celtics tickets to mentors and mentees from around Massachusetts. Joseph, in addition to being chosen as Ball Kid for the game, was able to participate in special pre-game opportunities.

We’re thrilled that Joseph was selected for the honor and we wish him well with the remainder of the school year.

***

*Boston Scholar Athlete Program’s mission is to improve academic achievement through athletics in the Boston Public High Schools. This focus is based on the proven link between athletic participation and positive academic performance. BSA was created by Suffolk Construction’s Red & Blue Foundation.

Stacey running 16 miles

Name: Stacey Best
Occupation: Attorney
Marathon Experience: 2011 Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon
Training Tips: Patience, good nutrition and rest are essentials.
Favorite Ice Cream: Nona’s & Coldstone (anything with chunks of chocolate)
Favorite Pre-Run Meal: Spaghetti
What motivated you to run for Boston Partners in Education?
The education of children is an issue near and dear to my heart. I am particularly concerned about the achievement gap that children of color are experiencing. As an African American woman who has attained a post-secondary formal education, I am accepting of an obligation to help people of color succeed. As one of a few people of color that I see at road racing events, it is also an opportunity to draw attention to the health of both body and mind in the black community.
Make a donation to Stacey!

Marathon Runner, Teresa!

Name: Teresa Burke
Occupation: Bilingual/ESL teacher, co-founder of Hola La
Marathon Experience: This is my first one!
Other sports: Played college tennis at Villanova University
Training Tips: Rest days are important; run at a pace that is comfortable for you
Favorite Ice Cream: Ben & Jerry’s (Chubby Hubby)
Favorite Pre-Run Meal: Pasta
What motivated you to run for Boston Partners in Education?
I volunteered for Boston Partners in Education about 10 years ago in a bilingual school in East Boston. It was this experience that motivated me to pursue a teaching job as a bilingual teacher in Boston Public Schools. I have been working in the field of bilingual education ever since! I love the mission of Boston Partners and am excited to be working to raise money for this amazing organization.
Make a donation to Teresa!

Tinu running 16 miles

Name: Antinuke (Tinu) Diver
Occupation: Lawyer at a transportation research center; freelance writer of “Yes, We’re Together”
Past Races: 3K in North Carolina, Lawyers Have Heart 5K, ZUMIX Run to the Beat 5K
Marathon Experience: This is my first one!
Training Tips: Even when things become painful and uncomfortable, keep moving forward! Eventually the pain subsides and you realize you’ve arrived at your destination.
Favorite Ice Cream: JP Licks Coffee or Mint Oreo (with chocolate jimmies) & BoYo (Raspberry Lime Rickey)
Favorite Pre-Run Meal: Whole wheat spaghetti with red sauce & soy meatballs
What motivated you to run for Boston Partners in Education?
Two things motivated me to run for Boston Partners. First, is my connection with the organization which began when I moved to Boston in 2007. It was one of the first organizations I connected with as a volunteer. Second, the encouragement of my husband and my former boot camp instructor who ran the 2011 Marine Corps Marathon this past fall to celebrate her 61st birthday. She’s been a big inspiration.
Make a donation to Tinu!

Cathleen & Camila, Hennigan Elementary School

January was National Mentoring Month and celebrating was a blast!  We shared many different perspectives about mentoring and even more were shared with us.  Between our blog, Facebook, and Twitter we heard from volunteers, teachers, parents, and students about what mentoring means and why it is so important.  We wanted to share some of what we heard this month with you!

A few of our Power Lunch students and volunteers drew what mentoring meant to them for Youth Mentoring Day on January 19.  Mass Mentoring Partnership created a scrapbook, “Mentoring Makes Me Feel…” with submissions from mentee/mentor matches from across the state.

We asked a few questions of our Twitter followers this month and we received some great responses:

@BostonPartners wants to know why do you mentor?

I mentor for moments like this morning when my mentee of 3 years looked up at me & said, “You’re my best friend.”

I mentor to share my love of reading and learning.

I mentor because it’s energizing! The potential I see is amazing.

Students inspire me & I hope I inspire them!

I mentor because the best learning is through teaching. And I love to learn.

I mentor because it gives me the opportunity to introduce a child into a world they’ve never seen before!

We just HAVE to know! What’s the funniest thing your mentee has ever said?

You know everything about Pokemon.
I bet you make, like, $1,000 a year.

In playing 20 questions, I had to guess “an old man with a big beard” – the answer: God.

Top might be the answer to what dolphin blood tastes like: Blueberries

How old are you? Sorry for asking. 25? Wow, that’s old.

The first ever “I Am A Mentor Social Media Day” on January 11 was a huge success!  Mentors from all across the country changed their Facebook profile photo to the Mentor badge and shared with the world why they spend time mentoring youth.

Rich Greif from Mass Mentoring Partnership shared his experience volunteering with us:

Did you also know I was a mentor for 4 years through Boston Partners in Education and my mentee Jamal J. is now a sophomore at UNH? Being a mentor has made me a better parent and advocate for education. You can make a difference in as little as an hour a week.

Lastly, we had a number of wonderful blog contributions this month.

Tuesday – the best day of the Week
This is a guest post written by School Volunteer Program volunteer, Kellyanne Dignan. She discusses why mentoring makes Tuesday her favorite day of the week.

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A Call for Bilingual Volunteers

One of our staff members, Carolina Davila wants to know, “How you are helping our future leaders?”

Carolina’s student was so excited about this post she shared it with her teacher, classmates, and parents.  All of the students in her class want an academic mentor now!

Spotlight On: Gardner Pilot Academy
The Gardner Pilot Academy has partnered with us for 13 years.  In this post we hear from the school and from a parent about why they love Power Lunch!

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Even though National Mentoring Month has come to an end, we’re still thinking about mentoring every day.  Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us last month and please continue to tell us about your experiences with Boston Partners in Education and the Boston Public Schools.  We love to hear from you!

A Power Lunch student and his mentor are absorbed in the exciting adventures of Spiderman.

Lauren said:
“Power Lunch has been a tremendous opportunity for our students who are in need of positive mentors in their life. Students are individually selected for this program based on teacher nominations. The students who participate often lack positive role models in their life and/or can benefit from individual attention.

The impact of this program is apparent when you walk into a Power Lunch classroom and students are smiling, laughing, reading and talking with their mentors – when students are excitedly explaining to their teachers what they learned about their mentors. You see it especially when they are anticipating their day with their mentors. GPA looks forward to continuing this partnership which provides our students with the gift of mentoring.”

Patricia Emery wrote a note on her son Michael’s permission slip this past year – a note asking us to personally thank his Power Lunch mentor. After speaking to Patricia on the phone, it was clear that she saw real value in the time he spends with his mentor each Monday.

“Power Lunch has helped tremendously with Michael’s reading, but it has also improved his confidence and self-esteem.” She laughingly told us that he always knows when it is his Power Lunch day and that it is something he looks forward to every week.

Michael and his Power Lunch mentor from Abt Associates share a story over lunch at the Gardner Pilot Academy.

She demonstrated the impact the program has had on him with a story.

“Recently, Michael and I were riding on a bus to run some errands. It was a long ride and in the past Michael would complain about the trip. During this ride, however, he was particularly quiet and when I looked over to see why, it was because he was reading a book – I was shocked!”

Boston Partners in Education loves hearing stories like this one from everyone affected by our programs – whether it’s students, teachers, mentors or parents. National Mentoring Month has provided an opportunity to highlight some of the great work our volunteers do every week and we look forward to sharing more throughout the year.

As a Boston Public Schools alumna, my appreciation for education has truly grown since I graduated high school and college and stepped into the real world. I joined the Boston Partners in Education team back in September as a recent college graduate looking to face new challenges. As the Recruitment & Big Cheese Reads Coordinator, I’ve visited various schools throughout the city; an eye-opening experience after four years of absence. Through this lens I’ve gotten to see how beneficial these volunteers would’ve been to me as I went through middle school coming from Puerto Rico.

Carolina working with her mentee

My parents decided to enroll me in a mainstream English program at the Mary E. Curley (now the Curley K-8 School) instead of seeking bilingual support. I believed my knowledge of the English language from media exposure was more than enough for me to excel. Once in school, I realized there are no subtitles or rewind/pause buttons in real life. Despite my academic success, I second guessed myself. Even when I knew the answer, raising my hand to speak in class was not an option.  Working with a volunteer could have boosted my confidence.

I believe that having a Boston Partners in Education volunteer makes more than an academic impact on a student; it’s a growing experience for both parties. Academic mentors are members of the community who lend their time and effort to make a meaningful impact in a student’s life. A student who has an individual commit to them on a weekly basis respects that person in a different way. It’s respect that is earned rather than expected. The time spent with a student shows that a person cares and the relationship that is built can change the child’s perspective and feelings about education, success, and leadership.

Carolina working with her mentee

As a team, we put a lot of effort into finding, training, and matching the right volunteers with the right students – giving everyone a pleasant experience. As our community’s face continues to change, more and more bilingual support is needed for our students. I’m now an academic mentor through the School Volunteer Program to a BPS eighth grade girl. She’s pretty new to Boston, and her home language is Spanish. Through our similar stories, I hope to inspire her to be different, and make a change.

How are you helping our future leaders?

Even though I don’t get to sleep in, Tuesday is my favorite day of the week. Just like any other weekday, I’m up at 6am but instead of starting my day with an hour of CNBC and coffee, I rush through my morning routine and head over to the Orchard Garden K-8 School in Roxbury where I spend an hour in Ms. Struckel’s fifth grade class before making my way to my office in Downtown Crossing at Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications.

I’m now well into my second school year in Ms. Struckel’s classroom. The three fifth grade girls I started this adventure with are now sixth grade girls and I’m lucky enough to be working with new students who will hopefully benefit from my greater familiarity with long division! I got involved with Boston Partners in Education because I wanted to do something every week to make a small difference in the growing inequalities that plague America’s public school but I also wanted to put to rest a few of my own ghosts.

When I was doing my training to join the program I was asked to tell my personal math story. Mine is fairly thin since until I got an MBA two years ago I hadn’t stepped foot in a math class since eleventh grade. I get asked how a woman who got top marks in accounting somehow missed calculus. The answer is simple and all too familiar, one bad class and a teacher I didn’t get on with soured me on the subject until my late twenties when the lure of a business degree became stronger than my fear of a graphing calculator. The accepted story that math wasn’t “my thing” was a myth that once taken root limited my choices and opportunities.

I had the benefits of a private suburban secondary education, peers that valued challenging academics and parents who pushed me to take classes I would have otherwise passed on. If this could happen to me, I had to believe there were lots of other young girls, turned off to math not because they weren’t able to do the work but due to one or two bad experiences.

I got involved to be that extra pair of hands in the classroom, another adult cheerleader and mentor, someone to tell them they can do it, which is why I always make my Tuesday 7:30am meeting at Orchard Gardens. No matter what else happens that week I always feel good about what we accomplish in the classroom. I guarantee that watching a fifth grader have a breakthrough on decimal points will feel better than any business deal, shopping trip, or dinner out.

Since the founding of Boston Latin in 1635, the Boston Public Schools have represented a commitment to free public education unrivaled in history. Our rich academic tradition is something every Bostonian can point to with pride but each of us must contribute and invest in our collective future. The Boston Public Schools need more than just funding; they need that valuable resource we all seem not to have enough of: time. I often wonder if everyone in the city gave just one hour a week the impact we could have on our schools. I encourage anyone thinking about volunteering to reach out to Boston Partners. Your hour does not have to look like mine (not everyone is a morning person) and the commitment, so small when you think of the hours spent watching reality TV, has so much impact in reality.

10. The community
We are in this together – our community, our kids.
“We should expect more of society,” Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education.

9. The talent
You have an abundance of talent, share it with others!

8. The skills
You will develop new skills that will be useful to you in your career.

7. The tranquility
Volunteering is proven to reduce stress.

6. The smiles
The students will put a smile on your face!

5. The challenge
It’s an opportunity to challenge yourself – do something you never thought you would do!

4. The exploration
It’s a chance to explore a new career in education.

“I volunteered with Boston Partners in Education for three years, reading to the same girl from first grade to the third grade. Ashley was a delight, a bright spot in my weeks. During my years volunteering, I received an unexpected gift. I discovered a deep interest within myself in education. I was inspired by the energy and professionalism of the principal of Ashley’s school as well as her teachers.
Thanks to my volunteer experience I am now researching programs that will help me achieve my new dream of becoming a children’s librarian or a teacher/librarian in a school.” -Amanda Merk, former Power Lunch volunteer

3. The self-esteem
Builds your own self-esteem and confidence – it’s true, volunteering is cool and so are you.

2. The effect
You make a difference.

1. The need
Students and their teachers in the Boston Public Schools need YOU!

If you need more reasons to get involved as a volunteer academic mentor, stay tuned to our blog in January. It’s National Mentoring Month and we will be bringing you stories by and about some of our amazing volunteers. These stories come from busy individuals have figured out how to volunteer as a tutor and mentor with a student once a week. If they can, so can you!

Our first blog post of 2012 will be a story written by a math volunteer who works for Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications who used to think that math wasn’t “her thing.”

Happy New Year!

Students and volunteers from the Power Lunch program at the Russell Elementary School, like Josie and her fairy godmothers, came to help flip the over-sized light switch that illuminated the building at 4:30pm that day. Afterward, the students were able to celebrate by enjoying cookies and hot cocoa with their mentors at Ropes & Gray LLP.

Ropes & Gray LLP was gracious enough to host a second event that evening, as well. Power Lunch volunteers from all of our partner companies gathered to socialize and learn about our upcoming Read-a-Thon competition.

Thank you to everyone who helped make December 19, 2011 such a wonderful evening!

All photos © 2011 Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo

A bubbly first grader in Ms. Ryan’s classroom last year, Josie clearly had a lot of potential. Ms. Ryan describes her as the type of student who probably knew the answer most of the time, but would rarely raise her hand. An English Language Learner, Josie was verbally communicative in English but struggled to transfer those skills into her reading. When Ms. Ryan received her Power Lunch nomination forms, Josie seemed like a perfect fit for the program.

As with many Power Lunch students, Josie was matched with two volunteers who alternate weeks visiting with her. Jen and Diana, two attorneys from Ropes & Gray, arrived to collect Josie from her classroom on the first day and the three bonded instantly. Ms. Ryan joked that she knew she didn’t have to teach Josie how to tell time because she was always ready for Power Lunch when 11 a.m. rolled around each Wednesday.

It wasn’t long before Ms. Ryan started asking a little more of Jen and Diana, now dubbed Josie’s “fairy godmothers.” She would identify skills that they could focus on each week, like increasing Josie’s fluency. Instead of allowing Josie to point to words she thought she didn’t know, Ms. Ryan coached Jen and Diana to have her hold the book. With the book in her own hands and knowing that finger pointing was only for tough words, Josie read more confidently and fluently.

Ms. Ryan described Jen and Diana as sponges – able to become reading teachers within 30 seconds of giving them books that might be of particular help to Josie. This willingness to soak up information represents what Ms. Ryan called a team effort between Power Lunch teachers and the eager Power Lunch volunteers. She said that seeing what she teaches in the classroom carry over somewhere else is incredibly uplifting. “It means it is working!” she exclaimed.

Ms. Ryan shared that Josie did make the benchmark for 1st grade at the end of the school year and visibly loves reading now. “Kids think about Power Lunch a lot!” she said. “It’s not just one hour a week for them – it does affect their reading, confidence and participation.”

Now a second grader, Josie continues meeting with her fairy godmothers and truly looks forward to the next page of their story each week.

Kakooma was created by our friend and supporter Greg Tang. Greg is keenly interested in the work that we do with BPS students and has led a number of pro-bono support sessions for our math volunteers.  An important part of his personal mission is to help children and adults become better in math. He is working hard to create better teaching methods, shift the focus to more critical, abstract thinking skills, and make important mathematical concepts easier and more intuitive.

Kakooma starts with a deceptively simple idea: in a group of numbers, find the number that is the sum of two others. Sounds easy, right? Sometimes it is, but other times the answer is right in front of you and you just can’t see it. To solve a single puzzle, you often end up doing dozens of calculations in your head, sometimes more than a hundred. Before you know it, your mind is sharper and your math skills are better.

Play Kakooma & test your math skills here.

After more than 1,200 workshops, conferences and school visits in the last 10 years, Greg has taken everything he’s learned and created an online program that helps students meet the new Common Core Standards. We believe in the online program that Greg has developed and encourage you to check it out!  Subscriptions begin at $29 per year.

Subscriptions for the online program include:

• Clever strategies
• Games
• Puzzles
• Activities
• Books: Math Fables Too, The Grapes of Math (an NY Times best-seller!), Math Potatoes, Math For All Seasons, The Best of Times, Math Appeal, Math-terpieces, and Math Fables

Together, they develop strong computational and mental math skills, teach abstract and algebraic thinking skills, and provide the extensive repetition and practice kids need to achieve true mastery.

Watch Greg make math easy for adults on Newbury Street in Boston.

Dr. Anne M. Collins, Ph.D., Director of Mathematics Programs at Lesley University says this about Kakooma:

“Check out the puzzles and games on Greg Tang’s new math website . . . they are amazing. They will be phenomenal for all students and all grades and will definitely give them incentive to do mental math and learn their facts. But, beware, they’re addicting!”

Take $10 off the one year subscription price by entering the following coupon code: BPARTNER

The discounted price is $19/year. This offer is good until January 15, 2012.

For every subscription purchased with this coupon code, GregTangMath.com will donate 50% of the proceeds to Boston Partners through January 15. Thanks for believing in and supporting our work, Greg!

Purchase a subscription here.
*Each subscription is licensed for use on one computer at a time. If you want more than one person to play at a time, simply enter the corresponding number of subscriptions in the quantity field and click the Purchase button.