It鈥檚 a mixing of the generations. A group of retirees in Gaithersburg, Maryland, every week head to a nearby elementary school to volunteer their time and go back to work to help the newest generation learn to read, improve their math skills and even pick up a second language.
The volunteers from The Carnegie at Washingtonian Center travel a mile, once or twice a week, to Fields Road Elementary School to be paired with their class.
Principal Joshua Williams said this effort began last year when two residents at the nearby retirement community reached out to volunteer.
鈥淥riginally, we were thinking a handful. It ended up being eight or nine, and now it’s grown from there where we’ve had between 12 and 15 residents,鈥� Williams told 草莓传媒.
Jim Pattison, one of the volunteers, heads to Ms. Huang鈥檚 class every Friday afternoon.
鈥淚鈥檝e been involved with schools for over 40 years, and there’s kids (that) are enervating, but they’re also energizing, and it’s fun to be back in a classroom and just see the delight of the kids learning things and being with a terrific teacher,鈥� Pattison said.
Second grade teacher Mandy Huang said it is always a treat when Pattison, who the kids lovingly call Mr. JP, comes to her classroom.
鈥淚t’s like an extra grandfather to a lot of them,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to see. It’s like Christmas every Friday for them, they’re always like, ‘When is Mr. JP coming?’鈥�
Huang said Pattison鈥檚 forte is helping with reading, grammar and phonics.
鈥淭hey’ll kind of want to come work with him for the independent work, and do things like learning about subjects, verbs, nouns and then sometimes there’s a little short story 鈥� and he’s able to kind of encourage them to grow even more with their comprehension,鈥� she said.
Miriam Moskowitz is a student in the class and frequently reads with Pattison.
鈥淲hen we’re having trouble, we can work with Mr. JP and he helps us,鈥� the eight-year-old told 草莓传媒.
She said everybody is very excited when they come back from music class every Friday and see him sitting in their classroom.
‘We get something from this as well’
While Pattison said that he is happy to help and is pleased that the students are learning more and feel comfortable practicing their skills with him, it is not a one-sided relationship.
鈥淲e get something from this as well,鈥� he told 草莓传媒. 鈥淧eople who are wrapped up with themselves 鈥� they get kind of crabby, and that’s an old-fashioned term. But when you’re doing something for someone else, you just feel better.鈥�
Joan McCarthy, another volunteer at the school, agreed with that sentiment. She has been a teacher, substitute and volunteer at her kids’ and grandkids’ schools, so the environment is just natural for her.
鈥淚t makes me feel great,” she said. “I walk in the classroom, and right away they raise their hand. They want to come out with me to hear stories.”
McCarthy works with a fourth grade class often helping children who are learning English as a second language.
鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful for the different generations, because we’re older and they’re younger and they see us, and it inspires us. It’s enjoyable to be with them,鈥� she said.
Beyond just volunteering in the classroom, the folks from The Carnegie have really become part of the school community. They raised money to purchase T-shirts for every child that they wear on field trips and during special events. They also raised money to buy 75 backpacks for students in need at the school.
鈥淭hey’re doing a beautification project in the front of the school,鈥� Williams said.
Speaking about the overall experience, Williams said: 鈥淚t sends the message to our kids, and they really believe this that they matter. The fact that people that live within the community, but really don’t have specific ties to the school, have taken the time out to just come meet with our kids, support our teachers, and they are invested.鈥�
鈥淭here are probably other retirement communities that would probably jump at a chance to do something like this and I think there’s plenty of schools that would welcome that kind of a thing,鈥� Pattison added.
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