Saturday, April 17, 2010

Random Momma Interlude!

So, I know most of you read this to hear about what Momma and Daddy are cooking, but since there's been a lull in cooking of recent (due to finalizing moving things and corporate retreats), Momma wanted to interject with some meta-commentary. So, without further ado, my awesome Momma!

Burke has done a great job of chronicling the day to day life we're leading here now when it comes to cooking, but since I can't bring Da Butt into work with me, he hasn't been able to talk about what I do at work! I figured, since the work is partly an after effect of deciding to eat healthier. After I started putting al my ducks in a row food-wise, I applied to Americorps to see if I couldn't finagle a way to avoid paying for my student loans for another few months, if not longer! That's not true, I actually joined to finally give back, perform Mitzvot. I landed in a program called Harmony-Corps, and at the United Way of Central Indiana, or UWCI. 

My job here is to coordinate volunteers and work with schools on a program called ReadUP, which is perhaps the most worthwhile thing I've ever been involved in outside of the home. ReadUP is a tutoring program with a single focus, to take 4th and 5th graders who are not reading at their grade level, and over 30 weeks or so, bring them up to speed. The graduation rate in Indianapolis is so low, less than 1/2 of 9th graders end up graduating. Current studies show that if a student falls behind in reading in elementary school are far more likely to drop out. 

ReadUP is possibly the perfect place for me, it engages my teacher side with my desire to help a wider group of people. I can be a teacher without a classroom, I can use what I know to reach more kids than I ever could in a school. It's rewarding without burning me out, and I'll acquire skills I hadn't previously had, like learning how to manage volunteers and soliciting companies. It's going to be the experience of a lifetime. I will be, as our message says, LIVE UNITED.

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