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Austin Participates In Education
Your Guide to Engagement
Volume 3, June 2005
From the Desk of Kathrin Brewer
Austin Partners in Education congratulates schools, partners and volunteers on another successful year and wishes all an enjoyable and safe summer. We are busier than ever as we put plans in place for programs for Fall 2005.
We will be building on our successes and expanding our programs to reach more schools and students in the next school year. Please read below about some special volunteer and partner successes.
Featured Partner and School
A group of special employees from the Black Diversity Network Group at IBM has worked closely with Principal Leroy Davis at Kealing Middle School on a mentoring program whereby about 20 IBM men, all engineers or computer scientists, take turns to visit Kealing for pizza lunch with a group of male students. Each Friday they visit for teambuilding exercises, mentoring and other themed programs. The IBMers have stayed diligently throughout the school year, and as a special project, they helped the Kealing students assemble four PCs from surplus IBM parts and parts purchased by IBM. These computers were then donated to the school.
Dr. Sandra Johnson, an Urban League Board Member, and three IBM engineers from the Black Diversity Network Group spoke to a group of young women students at Kealing over lunch. ‘The students were riveted and asked some terrific questions of the engineers
regarding their careers, school preparation, etc. This was a marvelous exchange and mentoring opportunity.’ said Mr. Sandy Dochen, IBM’s Manager of Texas Public Affairs. Dr. Johnson discussed the use of study groups as integral to her success at Stanford where she earned her Masters, on her way to getting her PhD at Rice, being the first African American woman to ever get a PhD in electrical engineering.
Other IBMers conducted classes for Kealing students and parents on digital photography and using Ebay. IBM was very impressed by the great attendance and engagement of the Kealing families.
These events plus the IBM EXITE Girls Camp (Exploring Interests in Technology and Engineering) all roll up to a feeling of energy and excitement at Kealing. ‘Principal Davis is great at delegating tasks and engaging his team while at the same time maintaining ownership and enthusiasm.’ said Sandy. ‘His personal interest in the students and the partnership with IBM is evident and keeps the IBM employees engaged and enthused. Principal Davis shows how to make partnerships work, an amazing feat given his busy schedule. IBM feels fortunate and privileged to enjoy this wonderful relationship with Kealing Middle School.’
Featured Volunteer
Our featured volunteer this month is Mr. David Blackwood, a City of Austin employee, who has been mentoring children for over six years. He currently mentors eight boys and girls, some of whom he has been mentoring throughout the six years. David provides a truly exceptional example of volunteerism and he is an inspiration to others.
David mentors six days a week before going to work and also takes the students on group outings on the weekend. He became interested in mentoring through his own involvement in Boys Clubs in New York, and has been mentoring in one form or another since age 15. David said he ‘aims to be a positive influence on the children, to teach the children self-respect, to be well behaved and to be positive about life.’ One of David’s students is a National Junior Honor Society Member and other students play on sports teams. David has the full support of the parents of the children and he works cooperatively with them to support their children’s development.
David said what motivates him is ‘loving life to the fullest and children’. On behalf of those lives you have touched and the inspiration you are to others, we say ‘thank you and a job well done, David Blackwood’.
Mentoring Anecdote
The following anecdote was written by one of our wonderful mentors about her student, Juan.
‘Bragging About Juan’
One day I received an email calling for mentors. ‘Why not?’ I asked myself.
I‘m afraid I had selfish motivations.
You see I‘m not a grandmother, yet, like all my friends who are always bragging about their grandkids. So, I decided I could brag about whatever child I would mentor!
I said I would take whatever child was available. My choices were that I could choose a difficult child or a model child, a boy or a girl. I said I had no preference, and I was given a five-year-old boy named Juan. Juan was small for his age, with big brown eyes and untied shoelaces.
Juan loved to sit in my lap whilst I read him a story. He loved maps of the world and to play games including chess.
Juan has changed a lot in the two years I have mentored him. He is now seven years old and as bright as a whip. I could brag on and on about him. He says he wants to be a lawyer! I don’t know where that came from, but I praise him a lot. He also tells me he is going to U. T.!
I tell my friends that he is teaching me chess and has revived my interest in geography to the point that I have bought a world map and put it up in my home. I also tell them that I can play more games than they can play and that I am missed as much as any loving grandma. Juan is great and I have a lot to brag about. I am looking forward to fall and Juan - what more can I say, but that I am really happy I am mentoring.
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