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Introduction
In the previous two chapters, I have described the successful
implementation of tutoring projects by two of the August 1997
Tutoring and Mentoring seminar trainees. Both Arnold and Nydia
were able to establish tutoring sites relatively soon after the
training because many of the necessary components under the vision
and resources categories of my matrix (based on Ambrose, 1987)
were already in place. The other trainees came to the seminar
with much interest and enthusiasm, but it would appear that they
were not as equipped to implement immediately as were Arnold and
Nydia.
I contacted most of the other trainees by telephone at least
twice (see the data collection chart in chapter three), inviting
them to talk about their thoughts, accomplishments, and frustrations
associated with the establishment of a tutoring project in their
home locations. I used no interview schedule, rather, I encouraged
them to tell me their stories while prompting them in several
areas:
1. What have you done? What were your original intentions?
2. How equipped did you feel both before and after the Tutoring
and Mentoring seminar to train children and adults in this tutoring
project?
3. What else, if anything, could the project coordinators
have done to assist or enable you in establishing a site?
I took notes as I conversed with the participants (Data File,
pp. 279-313). I began to watch for commonalities, or themes, that
emerged among the "types" of respondents, and I created
a loose matrix to assist me in processing the information (Data
File, pp. 314-321). This helped me to paint a composite picture
of the various groupings of respondents and the elements that
were common within each group.
Then the question arose of how best to represent these elements,
how to most effectively capture the "feel" of the experiences
these trainees were having. Verma (1991) suggests that the phenomenon
has its own "say so" in how it is represented:
The choice of forms cannot be arbitrary; it is inherent in the
nature of the experience itself. It is not that the writer first
has a certain experience and then embodies it in a particular
art form, rather it is the experience which chooses its own form
to make its presence felt. (p. 6)
The above statement illustrates a central theme in postmodern
thought: a challenge "to the claims to a singular, correct
style for doing and presenting research" (Richardson, 1990,
p. 11). Another theme is suggested in Denzin's (1994) assertion
that "in the social sciences there is only interpretation.
Nothing speaks for itself" (p. 500). So it is left up to
me, the writer, after the "experience . . . chooses its own
form" to use that form to best interpret the stories of these
trainees.
The form that the experience "chose," after no small
amount of resistance on my part, was that of the collective story.
The collective story is a tool of narrative writing where the
common experiences of a number of individuals are compiled into
one piece of fictional writing, fictional, but based in the true
accounts of those being studied. The collective, or composite,
story "describe[s] findings that apply to a group of people
rather than to any one unique individual" (Ely & Anzul,
1991, p. 173). Rinehart (1998) classifies this kind of qualitative
reporting as "fictional ethnography" which he defines
as a type of ethnographic writing that
combines the realist goals of academic ethnography and fiction
but with an eye to both instruction and feeling. In fictional
ethnography, writers may attempt to relate the chaos of the world
to the reader. . . . In fictional ethnography, most authors attempt
to replicate the sense of the experience. If something did not
necessarily happen the way it was reported, recollection made
it feel as if it did. . . . The feel of the experienceverisimilitudeis
what the writer is after. (p. 204)
My resistance in using this tool of narrative research was
partly due to the fact that this kind of interpretive writing
was new to me. I did find some comfort in Denzin's (1994) encouragement
that "interpretation is an art; it is not formulaic or mechanical.
It can be learned, like any form of storytelling, only through
doing" (p. 502).
In judging the validity of these stories, a key question to ask
, according to Denison (1996), is:
Do they contain "truthlike statements that produce for the
readers the feeling that they have experienced, or could experience,
the events being described?" (Denzin, 1989, p. 83). If so,
then these stories should be working to bring a previously hidden
or submerged reality to light. So conceived, the text then establishes
its own verisimilitude and tells the truth. (p. 358)
Thus I became convinced that the best way to represent the full
experiences of those who struggled in establishing tutoring programs
was to write narrative accounts that highlighted the most common
themes inherent in their difficulties. What follows are two collective
stories that represent two different "types" of people
who attended the Tutoring and Mentoring training in August 1997:
Connie, the conscientious church member, and Edward, the busy
educator. These names and any proper names related to them are
pseudonyms, but are based on the stories of real people who attended
the training.
The Stories
Connie, the Conscientious Church Member
Introduction
Connie came on her own to the August training seminar with the
full blessings and sponsorship of her home church, Thurston Park
SDA on the near-east side of Chicago. She heard about the initiative
after attending a Conference-level community service seminar where
Pastor Rojas spoke about volunteerism, America Reads, and the
Adventist Tutoring and Mentoring project. Connie put her name
on a list indicating her desire to know more, and a few weeks
later she received a mailing with registration information (Data
File, pp. 1, 4-6). Since she is active in the community service
efforts of her church, and since she has had a burden for helping
the children in the local neighborhood, Connie decided to attend.
Connie is a retired nurse who is busy with many other church
programs and activities. She sings in the choir and works in the
food pantry several days a week. Her husband died 5 years ago.
She decided to ward off loneliness by becoming involved.
Connie has kept a journal for many years. Her style of writing
is episodic rather than chronological, with each entry focusing
on a particular theme or event that is current in her life. Connie
likes to title her entries for easier reference later on. Several
of her journal entries related to the Tutoring and Mentoring initiative
are below.
Entries From Connie's Journal
August 31, 1997 Home Again
I'm thrilled to be back in my own bed after almost a week away
from home! The Tutoring and Mentoring Seminar was very exciting,
but also very draining. It was so kind of my old college friend,
Melissa, to invite me to stay with her during the week, but I
did not know she lived almost one and a half hours from the North
American Division Headquarters! What I saved in expenses, I lost
in sleep. Even so, it was good to see Melissa again, if only for
short times in the mornings and evenings.
My head is spinning from what I learned at the seminar. Many
of the topics shared by John Gavin, Sandra Brown, and the others
earlier in the week were somewhat familiar to me since I have
some background in community service organizations and how they
function. Their presentations were easy to digest and well-covered
in the manual and other handouts given to us.
The SMILIES presentations by Shirley and Mark during the last
two days of the training were excellent but overwhelming! I have
never worked one-on-one with a child in a formal program like
this before. I must admit, I was a little uncomfortable when Shirley
asked us to work in groups to define what a tutor is and does.
First of all, I've never thought about that question before, and
second, even though we had been together for the previous few
days, I hadn't really spoken much with the others who were there
at the seminar. But we did seem to warm up to each other, and
Shirley had a way of making us all feel more comfortable.
The live tutoring demonstrations by Mark and his son, Philip,
were very helpful. These presentations did enable me to put a
more "human" face on what is involved in working with
a small child. I just wish we would have had some time to role-play
with each other to get a feel for tutoring in this way before
leaving. I wanted to ask Shirley if we could do that, but it was
obvious that she had a lot of information to share with us before
the time was up. The SMILIES tape and the manual will be helpful
in the weeks to come as I review what we covered.
Shirley strongly recommended that we find a child to tutor for
practice before we do anything else. I immediately thought of
Justine, my niece's daughter, who struggled in her first-grade
classroom this past year. Julie, my niece, has been concerned
about Justine since her teacher talked with Julie about the possibility
of holding Justine back in first grade. I'll ask Julie about working
with Justine when we get together this next weekend. I just don't
know how much time I can commit to tutoring with all of my other
responsibilities at church.
I discovered that there are three other people from the Chicago
area who attended the training. Monica is a public school teacher
who has organized a one-night-a-week homework tutoring session
in her church. Edward is also a teacher who works in a Seventh-day
Adventist day school about ten blocks from here! And Ella attends
the same church as Edward. She is a woman who, like me, earnestly
wants to help the children in her neighborhood. We had dinner
together Thursday evening of the seminar and decided to meet and
talk at the end of September about how we might work on establishing
a project. I don't know why we didn't find out about each other
before coming. I guess it just shows how our churches need to
communicate more regularly to stay informed about our local events
and projects.
September 28, 1997 Organizing a Project
This morning Monica, Edward, Ella, and I met at the church where
Edward and Ella attend, Baker Street SDA, to discuss trying to
establish a tutoring project. We have formed a committee that
we have called the Baker Street Literacy Group. We are looking
toward implementation after the beginning of the new year. Edward
and Ella believe that the pastor of their church may be willing
to allow us to use their facility two evenings a week for tutoring.
There seems to be a good deal of enthusiasm in our little group.
Monica, who has her own homework tutoring program, has some definite
ideas about how to spread the word, how to organize the schedule,
and how to arrange for snacks and transportation. Edward, who
is very comfortable with the SMILIES teaching approach, seems
to have a grip on the actual academic end of things. Ella and
I didn't say much during the meeting, but we are both very willing
to do whatever is necessary to make this thing work.
Pastor Dorsett at the Baker Street church recommended that we
go to Dr. Morrow, the head of ACS at the Conference level, to
inform him of what we are trying to do and to get his official
approval and support. I volunteered to contact his office and
set up a time for all of us to meet with him some time in October.
Pastor Dorsett would like for there to be a good bit of communication
between us and all the churches in the area, thinking that we
might eventually be able to help them establish programs in their
communities as well. I'm concerned that we not try to tell others
how to do this until we are up and running successfully ourselves.
We do seem to be building some momentum, but I wonder who is going
to actually head this thing up once we get started.
I have been working with Justine now for two weeks. At first
she didn't seem interested, but when I showed her how she could
read the simple "little books" that we were given at
the seminar, she just lit up! And she really enjoys making letters
with her body, and writing stories together. We illustrate them
using pictures cut out from some of her old children's magazines
that had been set aside for recycling. She is reading level 2
books fairly easily. Her mom says she just can't keep her away
from the little books, and they play with the magnetic letters
I bought for her all the time. The transformation that I see in
Justine's attitude has given me more reason to be encouraged.
I understand why Shirley and Mark suggested that we find a child
to tutor. I've thought about going to the day care center in our
apartment complex to see if I could volunteer to work with one
or two children while we are in the process of setting up our
own program.
October 19, 1997 Meeting With Dr. Morrow
This morning the Baker Street Literacy Group met with Dr. Morrow,
the ACS director for the Conference. He was very congenial and
supportive of our efforts, but I'm very surprised that he did
not know more about the Adventist Tutoring and Mentoring initiative.
We explained more about the program to him, and we told him about
our desire to set up a program at the Baker Street church. Like
Pastor Dorsett, he would also like us to spread the word about
the program to other churches, and he'd like us to consider offering
training sessions at strategic places around the Chicago area,
but he wants us to get established first. We assured him that
we weren't eager to train others until we felt confident in what
we were doing ourselves.
Edward did much of the talking this morning, and Monica offered
some specific information about tutoring projects based in her
own experience. To my surprise, Ella spoke up quite a bit as well.
Evidently she is part of a federation of churches, and she shared
about the program at a federation meeting the other day. She told
Dr. Morrow that there seemed to be a lot of interest among many
of the representatives in what she had to say. Like always, I
just sat there most of the time nodding my head. But I did tell
Dr. Morrow about my work with Justine and how well that is going.
I told him that it's hard to maintain a consistent schedule, but
even with the hit-or-miss tutoring I've been doing, Justine is
making some progress and loves the multiple pathways approach
that is a part of the program. Dr. Morrow asked me to explain
more about multiple pathways, which I did. He seemed very interested.
We made tentative plans to meet again with Dr. Morrow some time
in mid-November.
After our session with Dr. Morrow, the Literacy Group decided
to meet in two weeks for a planning session. At that time, we
will lay out some more specific assignments and responsibilities.
November 9, 1998 Organizing, or Not?
The Literacy Group met today after a one-week delay due to schedule
conflicts. Edward didn't realize when we planned the last meeting
that he had a school function on the 2nd of November that he needed
to attend. And I was invited to a wedding on the same day. When
we met today, Monica couldn't be here because of a prior commitment.
She insisted that we go ahead so as not to lose the momentum we
seemed to be building.
The three of us took stock of where we were. We realized that
if we were to get anything going we needed to spread the word
to the other churches in the area, get some volunteers, and make
plans to start training. I think reality is hitting hard. Both
Edward and Monica have full-time jobs with many responsibilities
in the evenings. Ella is willing to do whatever but, like me,
she does not have a background in education. Increasingly people
are looking to me to head up the major organizational and training
efforts in this project, but I certainly do not feel like I am
the person for the job. Yes, I have been trained (as if two days
makes me qualified), and I have been tutoring a child on and off
using these methods. But I am not ready for this responsibility!
Pastor Dorsett stopped in to offer us the use of two rooms at
the church which he showed to us. I didn't pay as close attention
as I should. My mind was spinning as I was thinking about how
much of a mistake my getting involved in this whole thing was
turning out to be.
November 10, 1998 Refocusing
It is amazing how much a good night's sleep changes one's attitude.
I have been thinking and praying about the Literacy project all
morning, and I told the Lord that I would do whatever He wanted
me to do if He would lead the way. Not long after that the phone
rangit was the director of the child care center in our
apartment complex. A mother had asked her where she might find
a tutor for her 6-year-old son who has been having trouble in
reading at school. The director remembered that I had offered
my help and wondered if I wanted to work with the boy. I told
her that I would work with him on Tuesday evenings after school
for one hour.
I'm excited but still apprehensive. I have seen notable progress
in Justine's case, even though I work with her only a few times
a month. I think this is an opportunity for me to gain more confidence
in the tutoring end of things. Maybe I could train others in this
if I had more experience. And even if I am unsure, we do have
the tape that we can use to provide some demonstrations of the
techniques to trainees.
I called Dr. Morrow's office to set up our second appointment
with him. I was told that he would not be able to meet with us
until after the first of the year! Oh well, we still have a lot
to do in our own situation before we talk with him about going
out to other churches.
One other development todayI mentioned the tutoring project
to some ladies at the food pantry. Two of them want to know more
about times and places for training sessions when we get them
scheduled. Thank you Lord!
December 16, 1998 Logistical Difficulties
I have been on the phone all evening trying to organize another
meeting of the Literacy Group. Everyone seems so busy with so
many other things! I'm worried that we simply may not have the
time and personnel to pull this project off. We will not be able
to meet until January 18th. I asked Edward if he has talked to
any potential volunteers about the project. He said that he hadn't.
Monica has been talking to a few people and she says there is
some interest. Ella, who reported earlier that several women in
her federation group wanted to know more, now says she's getting
a lot of questions about the whole educational mission of the
initiative. There seems to be a mind-set that the traditional
focus in community service circles has been around supplying food
and clothing to needy people, or disaster relief during crisis
events. Many of her cohorts are saying that the responsibility
for offering tutoring services should be placed in the laps of
the educators of the church. Tutoring children is a different
sort of focus with which they are uncomfortable.
I had my third tutoring session with Brian, the little boy at
the child care center. He is responding well, but his progress
is not as rapid or as marked as Justine's. It's obvious that,
to make a difference, I may have to spend more time with himsomething
that I've got less of these days. Maybe I can stretch my commitment
to twice a week.
January 18, 1998 Organizing for Training
In anticipation of our Literacy Group meeting today, I tried
Friday morning to set another appointment with Dr. Morrow. His
secretary and I discussed many dates and we finally settled on
February 13. I reported this to the group. Edward said that he
couldn't be there, as did Monica. They both have Valentine's Day
parties that they need to facilitate at school. Ella said she'd
be glad to go with me, but once again the responsibility seems
to be shifting my way. OK, Lord! What's going on?
We are aiming to start training volunteers in mid-March. At this
point, there are five people who have expressed an interest in
being trained. Edward seemed willing to take on organization of
the training sessions, but I am not comfortable that things were
fully settled before we broke up. He just asked that I be prepared
to demonstrate some of the SMILIES techniques that I've been using
with my children. Monica is going to work on organizing schedules
and sign-up sheets, and Ella is going to order the materials from
the sources in the back of the SMILIES manual. Pastor Dorsett
offered us $250 to get started from a benevolence fund he's been
saving for the right occasion.
I also talked with the group about the teleconference that Sandra
Brown had scheduled for January 29th (Data File, p. 16). They
asked that I call and represent our Literacy Group in the teleconference.
No one else seemed interested in taking part. I will report back
to them when we meet again on February 8th.
February 4, 1998 More Frustrations
I just heard from Monica that Ella was involved in a car accident.
She is going to be OK but she will be bedridden for some time.
This will effectively remove her from our Literacy Group efforts
until summer. I will need to send her a card.
Edward asked that we change the date for our next meeting until
the week before training is to start in March. He still believes
that we will be able to organize enough to offer some quality
sessions to our volunteers. So we are going to meet on March 15th
and start training on March 22nd. We have agreed to call all of
our volunteer recruits to let them know.
Dr. Morrow's office called yesterday and canceled our meeting
scheduled for the 13th of February. He had to leave the country
on some Conference business and his return date is up in the air.
What is happening!!?
If it weren't for the success that I've been having with Justine,
I'd be totally frustrated. Justine's teacher is thrilled with
how well she has been doing in school, and the teacher told her
mother to tell me that I am a miracle worker! The teacher wants
to take a look at the curriculum sometime. Brian has been doing
a little better since we've been working together more often.
I meet with him on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 4:00 until
4:45 or 5:00. He is reading level 2 books nownot bad considering
that he couldn't even write his name when we first started! But
I am concerned that he's not making the kind of progress that
Justine has made. I really do need more training if I am going
to make a significant impact with children like him. It seems
like I am falling into a rut, just doing the same few things over
and over again with both Justine and Brian.
Brian's mother keeps offering to pay me, but I know she really
can't afford it. She works for a hotel chain as a maid and is
raising Brian and his little sister on her own. She has offered
to clean my entire apartment sometime since I won't accept any
money from her. I'll probably take her up on that one!
March 15, 1998 A Short but Productive Meeting
The remaining Literacy Group members, Edward, Monica, and I,
met to go over our training agenda for next week. Ella was able
to order the manuals, books, and magnetic letters we need in spite
of her accident. After sorting the training materials, we talked
about the training schedule, which Edward does seem to have in
hand. He said that he would open the meeting with a devotional
thought, and that he would give a brief introduction to the SMILIES
curriculum. After that, I will talk about the Seven Pathways and
show the introductory parts of the tape. Then Edward will talk
about expectations for tutors and goals for the project. To close
the first session, Monica will lead us as we try to settle on
a tutoring schedule that might work for all of us. This first
meeting will serve as a basic introduction. We will get into details
on each pathway, making lesson plans, and how to determine reading
levels in the following weeks.
Our planning session lasted for only an hour because Edward had
an emergency meeting with some parents about an incident at his
school. Monica and I talked for a few minutes. I told her that
I was feeling apprehensive about everything, but I want to press
through because I know that tutoring works. I believe we are doing
the right thing. She agreed, and said that her tutoring session
is the high point of each week for her. I know what she is talking
about!
March 23, 1998 Our First Session, and Possibly Our Last!
I got so frustrated with Edward. He came to our training session
yesterday morning ten minutes late, his "devotional thought"
was a brief prayer, and then he handed the whole meeting over
to me. I was shocked and I just froze from embarrassment! I reminded
him that he was supposed to introduce the SMILIES curriculum,
and he just said, "You go ahead. You know what you are doing."
I fumbled around for a bit and finally managed to talk about the
America Reads Challenge by the President, the Adventist initiative,
and the SMILIES manual. Then I turned on the tape and excused
myself to the bathroom where I had a good cry for a few minutes.
When I came back, Monica was talking about schedules. Nothing
was getting settled at all. Every evening that was suggested for
tutoring was a problem for someone. After working fruitlessly
on that for 20 minutes, the meeting was adjourned until next Sunday
and we left. I didn't say a word to anyone!
Edward did call yesterday evening to apologize, explaining that
he had been so busy with school-related responsibilities that
he just didn't have time to prepare. He knew that he put me on
the spot, but he thought I could handle it. Edward admitted that
he simply didn't have enough time to devote to the tutoring project
and he might have to back out.
I understand how busy he must be at school. I forgave him, and
said that I don't think I have what it takes to lead this effort.
I'm frustrated with trying to recruit and organize volunteers,
with trying to meet with people at the Conference level, and with
my own abilities to really tutor a child well, let alone trying
to train someone else how to do it.
Edward called me again today during his lunch break. He just
got off the phone with Monica, who is also feeling a time crunch.
But she is willing to try again. Edward suggested that we call
off any more training efforts for now, finish the school year,
and meet again over the summer to reorganize. I told him OK, but
he or someone else would need to be in charge.
I still believe in the tutoring project, but I need more training.
I don't have the confidence to lead an effort like this. The people
with the skills like Edward and Monica do not have the time to
devote in getting it organized. We need someone who has the knowledge
and the time to really do the job right!
Edward, the Busy Educator
Introduction
Edward (the same Edward as in Connie's journal) teaches Grades
5 and 6 at an Adventist school near the Baker Street SDA church.
He is also an elder in his church whose main responsibilities
center around the Sabbath School program. He has been married
for 2 years, and his wife is pregnant with their first child.
Edward maintains a very busy schedule, struggling to maintain
his multiple roles as husband, teacher, elder, and soon-to-be-father
without seriously neglecting any of them.
Edward heard about the Tutoring and Mentoring initiative through
his position at the church. The YOUthNEWS newsletters (Data File,
pp. 8-9) cross his desk regularly, and the information about the
August session caught his eye. Edward understands the need for
tutoring. Many of his students could have used extra help long
ago, but now they are extremely behind in their schoolwork because
their reading skills are so inadequate. He bypassed the opportunity
to attend a paid inservice session at his own school in order
to find out more about establishing a tutoring project.
His original plan was to start his own project. After the August
training session he felt equipped and ready. But when Edward met
Monica, Ella, and Connie at the training session and discovered
they were from the same area of Chicago, he felt it would be inappropriate
to ignore them and the NAD organizers by going out on his own.
Besides, he was very busy and including them would help distribute
the responsibility. Thus, the Baker Street Literacy Group was
formed.
The Literacy Group had a difficult implementation experience
during the school year following the first training session in
August 1997 (Connie's perspective is described in her journal
above). After deciding to postpone any further efforts until the
summer of 1998, Edward believed it would be appropriate to write
Dr. Morrow, the Conference ACS director, to explain their frustrations.
After all, Dr. Morrow had given his approval and blessing for
their initial establishment of a program, and he wanted to be
kept apprised of their progress. The text of Edward's letter to
Dr. Morrow is below.
Edward's Letter to Dr. Morrow
March 27, 1998Dear Dr. Morrow,
I trust that this letter finds you well and prospering in the
Lord. You had asked that I update you on the progress of the Baker
Street Literacy Group in establishing a tutoring project in our
area of Chicago. We did get to the point of actually holding a
training session for five volunteers on March 22, 1998, but this
did not go well. We have decided to postpone any further efforts
in organizing the project until some time this summer at the earliest.
Please allow me to explain, but first I want to appeal to the
Star Trek fan in you!
You may recall that, when we met last fall, you and I discovered
our mutual fondness for the series Star Trek: The Next Generation.
I'd like for you to picture the infrequent occasions where a member
of Captain Piccard's crew makes a request, during a one-on-one
conference, for "permission to speak freely, sir?" This
is what I am asking of you. I would like to share my heart with
you about our project and the Tutoring and Mentoring initiative
in general without feeling a need to hold back in fear of offending
someone. I trust your judgment completely, knowing that you will
share my opinions in an appropriate manner with the appropriate
people.
I had desired to start a project on my own, but felt this would
be inappropriate given all the advance work done by the North
American Division. It did feel good to become a part of the larger
effort, and when I discovered that there were several of us from
the same area of Chicago in attendance at the training, it made
sense to join forces with them. In retrospect, I was in the dark
as to the amount of work organizing a project like this would
demand! I must admit that our project fell through primarily because
I, the person most capable of leading our group and providing
training to our volunteers, could not invest the necessary amount
of time and energy in order to make it successful.
As an educator, I found the SMILIES curriculum to be logical,
precise, and academically sound. I felt that I could implement
it easily. But I did not sense the same self-assurance with the
others in our group. Even though they had gone through the training,
evidently they did not feel prepared. Connie had taken the ambitious
step of actually tutoring two children in order to gain some degree
of confidence. She frequently asked for advice which I tried to
give. It appears that she has made a real difference in the lives
of these two children, but she still lacks this assurance. You
may be aware that another woman in our group, Ella, was involved
in a rather serious car accident from which she is recovering.
She has expressed a desire to join with us again in the summer.
Ella frequently spoke of her need for more training and her concern
that she was not prepared to train anyone how to be a tutor.
Monica is a full-time teacher like me who has a tutoring program
of her own. She meets with her students one night a week for homework
help. I think she has the tutoring know-how, but her time is as
limited as mine. Time seems to be a huge concern for most of us,
especially when it comes to the nuts and bolts of scheduling.
In addition to concerns about skills and time, we were also having
great difficulty finding a substantial number of willing volunteers.
Younger adults, and especially parents, struggle with committing
a regular block of time for tutoring because of their busy schedules.
So often both parents work, or single parents need to work more
than one job just to make ends meet. So, trying to settle on even
one night each week that we could hold tutoring sessions proved
to be an insurmountable problem.
The elderly people in our church who are active in community
service work do not see tutoring as the "typical" ACS
activity. Many of them feel that we educators should take on this
responsibility. I do agree that those of us who work in the schools
are better prepared to tutor students. But we are already pouring
out our lives day in and out to help these children. We have been
calling for more help for a long time! This is why I believe in
the Tutoring and Mentoring initiative. I'm very pleased that the
Seventh-day Adventist church has taken the lead nationally among
church denominations in this effort. I'd like to make a few specific
recommendations "from the trenches" so to speak:
1. We need help from beyond the local level to recruit volunteers.
The initiative needs more publicity throughout the church so that
the potential volunteers who may not even know about the opportunity
will know where to go to offer their help. We, as a church, have
an incredible capability to dispense information like this. Let's
use it!
2. Related to the above, communication needs to be fostered between
all the various entities in our Conference (I suspect this is
true in the other Conferences as well). We should have discovered
before we got to the training at the Division Headquarters last
August that there were four of us from Chicago in attendance!
And with all due respect, you were not that aware of the effort
or of our desire to participate in it. The churches in urban locations,
with support from the Conference level, should work together in
establishing projects.
3. I understand that the project coordinators are recruiting
regional coordinators and supporting them with AmeriCorp/Vista
grant money. This seems like a good plan to me! We could use a
coordinator in this area! These people could be adequately trained,
and they would have the time to give toward organizing local projects.
4. This final concern is more directed toward the North American
Division ADRA/YouthNet project coordinators. If local people are
to be utilized in establishing and maintain tutoring projects,
they need far more training than we recieved last August. This
training must include actual practice in the SMILIES methodology,
preferably with "real" children. I've heard that Dr.
Shirley Freed, the primary author of the SMILIES tutoring manual,
is offering just this type of extended course at Andrews University
this summer. In addition to a more thorough initial training,
follow-up support and training must be offered at regular intervals.
The Division should make more of an effort to stay in touch with
trainees.
Dr. Morrow, I realize that my recommendations are very weighty
and would require a massive amount of organization on the part
of the church. But I believe, with the crisis in education we
face in this country, that our commitment to this type of work
ought to go well beyond the scope of the America Reads initiative.
Establishing a well-organized network of tutoring sites around
the country would be a highly visible and effective way to spread
the love of Jesus Christ to a needy world, one which our denomination
is uniquely qualified to offer.
Thank you, Dr. Morrow, for taking the time to read my letter.
I am feeling badly that our project got off to such a rocky start,
but it is possible that our experiences could work to help others
avoid the same pitfalls. And, thank you, Sir, for the opportunity
to "speak freely!"
Respectfully,
Edward
Summary
I chose the above forms of narrative representation, Connie's
journal and Edward's letter to Dr. Morrow, because they were very
personal in nature. As I talked with the participants on the telephone,
many of them expressed strong feelingsfeelings of frustration,
remorse, irritation, and sometimes gladness. Simply reporting
these in list form or discussing them systematically would not
have captured the lived experience that was and is so important
to relate.
"The study of narrative . . . is the study of the ways humans
experience the world" (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990, p.
2). After writing these fictional accounts, I returned to my notes
taken while interviewing the participants. As I read them through
again, I was satisfied that I had, indeed, captured not only the
major "themes" they related to me, but the affective
"feel" of their experiences as well.