Third Quarter Grade Report

Issue 3, Vol. 2 March 2012

Although we may not like it, we all face being evaluated.  Yet, it’s one thing to be evaluated on our own performance; it’s entirely another to be evaluated based on someone else’s.  Coaches, bosses, teachers, and tutorsare among those who are judged based on how well they help others perform.  So, how is New Hope’s after school tutoring program doing?Coming out of the gate, we had a bit of a rough start.  Last August, we had not yet earned the trust and respect of the neighborhood and we were on a steep learning curve.  During the 1^stsix-week grading period, one of our second-grade girls received two F’s on her report card.  Her grandparents immediately pulled her out.  The reality was we had no track record and that first report card gave them no reason for optimism.  In small neighborhoods like ours, rumors travel like wildfires.  We wondered, “What will the other families do?”  Fortunately, everyone else hung in there with us.Recently, report cards came out for the 4^th six-week grading period.  One fifth-grade boy who had been with us from the beginning showed me his report card.  For his 1^st six weeks, he brought home almost straight F’s.  His 2^nd six-week report card he had earned almost all D’s.  (It is a wonder that his Mom and Dad hung in there with us!)  His last report card, he earned almost all B’s.  He did have 2 “F’s”: one was for English; he didn’t turn in some of his homework.  The other was for behavior.  (Apparently he still gets in a few fights at the middle school playground.)  The report card was by no means perfect, but after twenty-four weeks there seems to be an upward trend.

In talking with the other students in our tutoring program, we were surprised to find that most of them are getting A’s and B’s.  Although we would like to take credit for all those good grades, several of the students were getting good grades long before they came to New Hope.  There are two other stories however, about how New Hope has impacted kids’ lives that we would like to pass on to you.

About three months ago, Kris and I met with the Principal from Westside Elementary for the first time. We were more than a little surprised to find out she had already heard about us.  She said several of her teachers mentioned how their students commented on how much they enjoyed New Hope’s after school program.  Those same teachers had noted a marked improvement in grades and behavior of those students.  It was gratifying to hear the Principal of an Elementary School notice that New Hope was having an impact on children’s lives.

Two weeks ago, an older woman was walking the halls between our two classrooms.  It turns out that she was the grandmother of two of our boys; a second grader and a fourth grader.  She wanted to see for herself what her grandchildren were doing at our after school program.  Her grandchildren were two of the last four kids we allowed into the program back in mid-October.  The grandmother told us that both of them received nearly straight F’s before they started tutoring.  They were constantly getting into trouble at school; write-ups, detentions, and suspensions.  She said that on their last report card, both boys had earned very good grades and they are no longer getting into trouble at school. Since they joined our after school program, she was seeing changes in her grandchildren’s lives.  She thanked us for what we are doing.

Recently, God has blessed us with an influx of more than a half dozen new volunteers.  This allowed us to re-open our after school program to new students for the first time since mid-October. Since then, we have had five more children register for the program.  We now have 25 registered students and average about 20 each day. We are thankful for the patience of the parents, the dedication of our volunteers and for God’s continued divine favor in the neighborhood.

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and your support.