Tutoring

For the second year in a row, Stephanie is being paid by a U.S. government "21st Century schools" grant to stay after school on Monday and Wednesday. Monday at 4:30 is Culture Club, but Monday and Wednesday at 3:30 is tutoring - with four or five usually non-English as a new language students. Stephanie helps the students work on their homework and then usually does some sort of joint reading (Monday) or math (Wednesday) skills activity. I stopped by there on a Monday last month to bring Stephanie a replacement pair of shoes, after her shoes broke.



At 4:15 the tutorees break for snack and Stephanie goes to the lunchroom as sees other teachers - on Monday - getting ready for activities like basketball and Culture Club.



Below is Sammy, one of Stephanie's Culture Club students, as they get ready for Culture Club.

Since Culture Club last month and the visit of the school district administrator who talked about how the district's elementary schools could help the district pass Average Yearly Progress, two startling events have occurred. . . . Racing to pick up his kid from Culture Club, one of Stephanie's students' parents was stopped for speeding, which has sent him into the immigration crackdown spiral. This could be the first of Stephanie's Indiana families that is really deported. Some Southern IN law enforcement officials apparently don't make immigration referrals, but this one did. Stephanie ended up driving the kid home from Culture Club and noticed no parents (just an older sibling) was home - but it turns out because the dad was in trouble. . . . Also - after Thanksgiving - the new district superintendent offered golden parachutes to a number of top district administrators - including the person in charge of the ENL program for the district - who has been very generous with Stephanie's program - as well as the person who spoke at Stephanie's school last month. Stephanie will miss working with the ENL administrator and has to wonder how things will work out with whoever gets the job next.

-- Perry