EDUCATIONALLY SPEAKING -- Gay Geiser-Sandoval

How many parents are counting the years until their last child graduates,

so they won’t have to volunteer at school any more? How many parents are

persona non grata by the time their youngest is a senior?

Would you believe that a parent is still helping out at school three

years after his last child graduated? Would you be willing to come to

help other people’s kids every Tuesday during the school year for three

hours in a row? Did you know that his group wants to help every child

become a better student?

It all started five years ago, as kind of a Kiwanis project, when Ron

Channels had kids at Costa Mesa High School. Believe me, the Channels

kids were not ones who needed help figuring out how to study. His two

sons and daughter did very well. In fact, Ron’s wife and youngest son

were tutors.

At first, it took a little persuading to allow a parent to be in charge

of the school’s library, so that the kids could have access to resource

material. Ron’s project has made a lot of converts since then. Now, he

has formed a nonprofit organization called Educate to Graduate. It is

there to make sure kids understand what path they must take in the eighth

grade to get them to the promised land of a good college education. He

has professionals, college graduates, students from the Circle K Club at

OCC, and students from Costa Mesa High’s Key Club to help tutor the 50 or

more students who show up for free help every Tuesday night.

In addition, his organization targets ten students each year, who are

usually in the ninth grade, to sponsor for college scholarships. These

students have to make a commitment to take the right classes and study on

a regular basis in exchange for the organization’s help. They meet every

Tuesday for an hour of extensive work. Then, many of the students stay to

tutor, as they become more proficient in subjects that they may have been

failing before signing up with the program.

He tells them that if they want to be a good student, their life is going

to change. They will probably lose friends who don’t study and make new

friends who do. They won’t have the free time they used to, because they

will be busy with homework and tutoring.

He relates history to these students by telling them that wars are a lot

like gangs fighting over turf. He explains how mathematics formulas were

invented long ago for practical purposes.

Since many kids are intimidated by math and science, he could use more

tutors in those areas. Call him at (714) 435-1414 if you would like to

help, or if you would like to replicate his program at your school.

Here are their seven habits for success:

1. Study a minimum of three hours a day, seven days a week. If you

complete your homework before the three hours, use the extra time for

review. You will gain the most out of studying in a quiet, relaxing

atmosphere where there are no distractions. We suggest studying in a

library. If you study in a quiet secluded area outside your home, you

won’t be interrupted by siblings, television, the phone, etc. (My note:

Parents can make homes quiet and perfect for studying by controlling the

phone, the computer, and the TV.)

2. Take notes for each class lesson and make outlines of any material

read.

3. Read your notes and outlines every day from beginning to end for each

class.

4. Read at least one chapter ahead in each class and ask questions about

the sections you don’t understand.

5. Strive to master each lesson before moving ahead.

6. Enroll in English, science, and math every semester at the highest

level you can master.

7. Tutor other students. Tutoring increases your knowledge. It requires

that you have a clear and thorough understanding of your material, so

that you can reiterate it to others.

*

I saw the movie “Music of the Heart” and it made me remember that little

has changed regarding funding for music programs since I saw “Mr.

Holland’s Opus” some years back.

Somehow, our district’s feeble funding for teaching elementary school

kids four different instruments for a total of about 35 hours doesn’t

present the music education that can make a difference in every student’s

life. None of our high schools has an orchestra program, and some

secondary schools have really limited instrumental music programs where

the music teacher is often over-worked. While there is some resurgence of

choir programs from a few years back, they are still reaching only a

limited amount of students. Now that all California State Universities

and all University of California campuses will require a fine arts class

as an admission requirement, it is even more imperative that these

programs be expanded, beginning in elementary school.

How can we live in the City of the Arts and not offer our kids these

critical opportunities?

* GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL is a Costa Mesa resident. Her column runs Mondays.

She can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].