Andy, a 4th grader at Borman Elementary, was a big fan of the Communities In Schools Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) program before he was even a participant. At the beginning of the fall semester, Andy would come by my office often and ask if any spots were available for him to join my program. Each time I would tell him that he was still on the waiting list, but I would encourage him that there would be a spot available soon. Time and time he was a frequent visitor. More than asking for a spot, he would pop in to say “Hi!” and ask how my day was. I was really adamant about adding him to our program. He had all the qualities to be a perfect match.
Andy needed academic assistance, and he had a tendency to act out in class. I knew that adding him to ACE we would be able to support and motivate him. When a spot became available I quickly welcomed him to our program. It took a little while for him to adjust and become familiar with the rules of the afterschool program, but he started modeling good behavior. However Andy was still having behavior problems in his daytime classes. His teacher approached me and asked if I could speak to him. She said that he seemed to have a good grasp on how ACE worked and knew that he would understand me if I spoke to him. I pulled him aside during program one day and told him that every single part of the school day is like a body and we needed all of the parts to work together to be able to be working great. I informed him how his daytime behavior affected the ACE part of the body, and he quickly grasped the idea. We made an improvement plan, and I asked his teacher to keep me informed on how he was improving.
This conversation between his teacher and I took place a couple of months back. Today, Andy has made an amazing improvement. His coach likes to call him the “comeback kid”. He is the most improved from his class. He was awarded because of his great strides. I am very happy to have Andy in our program. He is always a joy to see in the hallways during the day, and especially during the afterschool program. Andy has attended every parent event proudly. Keep up the great work, Andy!
