Believe it, Mrs. Math: I'm a math tutor now

The words every volunteer tutor loathes to hear from a high school student: “I need some help with math.”


The response I’ve always wanted to give: “Hey, me too, kid. Where do we get in line?”


Alas, today I was the math tutor. For one hour, it was my responsibility to help a ninth grader at Midwood High School understand the concepts of integers and basic algebra. And to what I imagine would be the utter disbelief of Mrs. Barritt, Mrs. Pilo, Mrs. Zack and every other math teacher I’ve ever had, I didn’t cause this student to regress in her understanding of mathematics, time or space. In fact, the session was a great success.


I don’t know if there’s a more rewarding volunteer experience for me than to tutor students. The objective and success are clearly defined. That’s easy. But more importantly, tutoring provides an opportunity to have a real impact on a young person’s personal and professional life. Success in school snowballs into positive self-confidence, and confidence, I’ve learned, begets success in so many of life’s challenges. Help a kid earn an A on a math test after he earned a D on a previous attempt. Then watch how his outlook about school and life changes.


My co-worker Shari and I are planning to go back to Midwood High School every Wednesday from here on out. Sign up to join us on the Web site. And I assure you: no matter how bizarre it might seem to your former teachers, you can handle the academic rigors of being a high school tutor.




-Tanner



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Friday Roundup 9.24.10

This was a great week! We had all hands on deck preparing for this year’s “Hands On Charlotte Day,” which will be on October 16. We’re still looking for individual and team volunteers, so let us know if you’re interested!

In the media, Patricia Smith Michaels called Hands On Charlotte “one of the top five environment-related volunteer opportunities in Charlotte.” And the Observer’s David Perimutt recommended us as place to come if you want to start volunteering in Charlotte.

Looking for an opportunity to volunteer in Charlotte this weekend?

• Saturday - BIG Project at Collinswood Language Academy: Spruce up the grounds and help paint a new soccer field. You don’t have to go through orientation to attend this project. Sign up on the Web site.
• Saturday – Challenger Football: Play therapeutic football with young people with special needs. Sign up on the Web site.
• Sunday – Recycling Program during Panthers Home Games: Hand out Bojangles’ recycling bags to fans around Bank of America Stadium. You must be at least 18 years old. You don’t have to go through orientation. Sign up on the Web site.
• Visit our calendar for many more Charlotte volunteer opportunities this weekend!
  

Next week on the blog: Meet the AmeriCorps! Hands On Charlotte relies heavily on AmeriCorps volunteers who each commit a year of service. Check back next week, and we’ll tell you all about the program and introduce you to A.M., Bryan, Janelle, Shari and Tanner!

18th-Annual “Hands On Charlotte Day” rapidly approaching

On October 16, approximately 1,000 Charlotteans will participate in service projects throughout the city – all part of Hands On Charlotte’s 18th-annual “Hands On Charlotte Day.” The event will focus on projects that support Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

“This year’s ‘Hands On Charlotte Day’ is going to be an exceptional experience for our volunteers, the city’s public schools and our partnering organizations” said Lisa Quisenberry, executive director of Hands On Charlotte. “It’s a special opportunity for people in Charlotte to spend a morning reinvesting in their community.”

At the participating public schools, efforts will include garden and beautification projects and classroom renovations. In addition to projects at schools, volunteers can serve organizations such as the Carolina Raptor Center, Charlotte Nature Museum, Habitat ReStore, Men’s Shelter of Charlotte and Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, among others.

Individual and team opportunities to volunteer are still available. To register, please visit our Web site for details.

Volunteering and September 11th

When the humidity recedes and the sky turns bright blue, the memories start to return. It was a beautiful morning here in Charlotte. I was excited to take my almost two-year-old son to his first real day of pre-school. As I drove to drop him off, I heard on the radio that a small plane had flown into the World Trade Center. When I got back home, I turned on the television and learned it was so much worse.

We all have a story like that. It is not hard to remember the anguish, the fear and the slow realization that our country would never be the same. But remembering doesn’t seem like enough… at least to me and to many others.

That’s why September 11 has been named a National Day of Service and Remembrance. In Charlotte and around the country, more than 5 million citizens will give of themselves and serve as a living memorial to those lost. To find out more, please go to http://www.911dayofservice.org/ .

Need motivation to give your time? How about the memory of firefighters and police who ran towards the burning buildings to rescue people they did not know. And remember the passengers on Flight 93, who gave their lives to save others that they did not know. What will you do?

Will you collect food, school supplies, or clothing for people in need you will never meet? Will you give blood in memory of those who gave their lives? Will you clean a park so other people’s children have a safe place to play? Will you help set up a shelter for homeless women and children?

Hands On Charlotte has lots of volunteer projects to choose from on 9/11/10. You can find out more at our Web site. But I also encourage you to create your own personal ways of honoring the memory of this day, those who were lost and the heroes that emerged. Let’s make sure that 9/11 never becomes just another day.

-Lisa Quisenberry, Consulting Executive Director, Hands On Charlotte