This past Wednesday, Juan Wade of the Charlottesville school board came to our seminar as a guest speaker and told our class about the Charlottesville area school system. Mr. Wade offered insight into both the strengths and weaknesses of current education patterns here, and stressed the importance and value of after-school programs and loyal mentors for young kids. He said that these two factors alone would have major bearing on whether or not children stayed in school through middle school and high school. Mr. Wade’s visit got me thinking about the seemingly simple things that have such an impact on whether or not children stay in school, let alone take it seriously. It seems these “little acts” can simply be investing in relationships with kids that may not have similar attention or support at home. Children need to be able to see an end goal to their education, and are less likely to become disheartened if they can see their hard work paying off.
After Mr. Wade’s visit, I stumbled upon a program at UVa that does just this! The College Guides Program prepares UVa students to work as counselors in local schools for a year after they graduate. The guides find great purpose in making trips to schools and talking to kids about the value of their education. If nothing else, a group of college-age students sharing their stories would definitely be a way of a younger student seeing the end goal of their education in the flesh. The College Guides celebrated its fifth anniversary last month, and saw 2,279 of the students they spoke to in the past year accepted to universities this fall. This program is rewarding for younger students, but has also had a great impact on the guides themselves. They see the impact they are making, and many choose to follow careers in education. It seems that seeing truly is believing.
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