Highs & Lows

I imagined Reach's launch for months. During planning stages, it's easy to imagine those perfect days when everything seems to go right - the days when it all becomes worthwhile. It's also easy to imagine worst case scenarios - the days when no one shows up. Reality persists: most days exist in the middle. Most days bring a fascinating and difficult mixture of in-between experiences. Most days are like today.

Today was our first one-to-one day. Every tutor was matched with an elementary school student - the numbers were finally aligned. Excited for today's action, I was just inside the school door when one of my third graders approached to tell me he was switching tutoring programs, because his teacher told him he should be in another one. Working on the fly, we made some adjustments, but that was just the beginning. Two older students came in to pick up their younger siblings early, then an after-care coordinator came in...and she was heated. Some of the kids were apparently in the wrong place. I furnished their registration forms for our programming, but she took them anyway, simply stating, "they're supposed to be waiting for their parents downstairs."

My response: "So, they're getting reading help here, but you want them waiting downstairs?"

I maintained my best social worker face when she said, "yes, that's what's on the paper."

This, folks, is how schools work.

All of a sudden, I had tutors without students. As you can imagine, this is neither exciting nor challenging for my high schoolers. Slowly, my tutors found their way to other students. The young ones smiled as they sometimes found themselves getting help from two "big kids!"

Then, in the last ten minutes, two tutors really made my day.

First, there was Binetou. I turned around and saw her speaking with a parent, her student's parent. They were smiling and laughing. I went over to introduce myself to the parent and heard the tutor giving a recap of the session, talking about her student's strengths and weaknesses. The parent ended the conversation by asking, "are you going to be working with my daughter all year?" The tutor smiled; she knew that the parent was hoping that was the case. When the parent left, Binetou said, "she's tough, but she's getting to know me. I think I can work well with her."

Then, as things wrapped up, Brandon took charge. Brandon's a natural leader. Yesterday, he led my training session in the wrong direction. He was having an off day, and it was clear that the rest of the tutors followed his lead. After the training session, I simply asked, "do you see what happens when you choose to use your leadership abilities inappropriately?" He looked away. He knew he could do better. Today, as we cleaned up at the end, it was Brandon that said, "Tutors, here's the trash can! Let's help our students clean up!" Without a word, other tutors stepped up to the plate. I smiled.

A mix of highs and lows. That will be the norm. Enjoy the highs; endure the lows.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark