COMMUNITY
JEWFRO
ti
Mission: Dixon
ay hello to my little friends. The
kindergarteners at Dixon Edu-
cational Learning Academy are
some of the most energetic, eager
kids you'll ever meet. And you'll meet
them, because they want to be your
friends, too. Your mission — should
you choose to accept it. And it's not
impossible, so don't self-destruct on
me yet.
Some context: One day in 2006,
my dad was dutifully sporting his
Summer in the City shirt at yoga
when a woman inquired about the
program. She turned out to be Diana
Howard, the world's best kindergar-
ten teacher.
Ms. Howard teaches at Dixon, a
K-8 Detroit public school nestled
along the east side of the west side's
1,200-acre Rouge Park. In the years
since that prime yoga T-shirt product
placement, Ms. Howard has enlisted
and facilitated hundreds of volun-
teers in making Dixon a vibrant,
beautiful learning environment.
Repair the World, a national Jewish
service organization I have the privi-
lege of directing in Detroit, doesn't
need hundreds of volunteers to
grow our partnership with Dixon this
year. We only need 100. And you're
one of them. So we only need 99. So
far, so good.
Just what are you signing up for?
Fair question. Those kindergarteners
(your soon-to-be best friends) arrive
at Dixon underprepared to learn all
the wonderful things Ms. Howard
and Ms. Evans have to teach them.
Also, there are 60 of them. That's
where we come in.
We will have the enviable role of
reading and learning one-on-one
with the kindergarten crew this year.
At this point, you might be think-
ing two things, both of which are
wrong:
1.My schedule does not permit this
kind of commitment. Ah ha! There
are some amazing mentoring and
tutoring programs in Detroit whose
weekly, ongoing requirements are,
indeed, incompatible with your busy
schedule. This is not one of those
programs. Each of the 100 volunteers
(you and the other 99) will "pledge"
10 reading visits to Dixon over the
course of the school year. Then you
can come when your schedule per-
mits. More on that in a sec.
2. I'm not a teacher. Of course you
are! You're reading this right now, so
we already know you have excellent
taste and a willingness to indulge
the non-linear thinking of a young
mind. You'll do great! Really, though,
you'll do great. And we'll be there to
S
www.redthreadmagazine.com
make sure everything goes
swimmingly.
More context: Dixon is succeed-
ing. In 2010, Dixon moved to its
current location from a historic
building a mile away to take over
for the underperforming Lessenger
Elementary-Middle School — com-
bining students from two adjacent
but distinct communities.
Dr. Ora Beard, a principal who
makes Morgan Freeman (from Lean
on Me) look like Mr. Belding (from
Saved by the Bell), brought a dedi-
cated staff and dynamic partnerships
to turn around the school. And it's
been quite a turnaround. By one
measure, Dixon climbed from a
statewide ranking of 2,100 to 175.
It's now a top-20 Detroit school that
the Michigan Department of Educa-
tion uses as a model for their School
Improvement Grants.
And you are a key to that contin-
ued success. Now the only question
is, what kind of bird are you?
•The Early Bird. When you're
schedule permits, get your Seuss on
at 8 a.m. before heading to work.
Then you and your reading buddy
are both bound to have a high-flying
day.
•The Snow Bird. Has wintering
in warmer environs (or hibernating)
kept you from getting involved? No
problem. We'll see you this fall or
when you get back in the spring —
or both.
•The Do-Do Bird. Not to be con-
fused with the Dodo, this beautiful,
far-from-extinct species is so inspired
by the experience that you lose track
of the number of visits pledged and
keep on do-doing great things with
great books with great kids.
•The Raven. If you're worried that
some nevermore issue will come tap-
ping at your chamber door, you need
not be so weak and weary. Some
volunteers will participate precisely
as pledged and planned. Most of us
will come more or less, and it will all
aggregate into evermore excellent
experiences for our fledgling friends.
•Flying V. Want to come with a
group? Great — let's carpool!
•The Loon. Me, too. I know the
feeling when any commitment
makes you lay an egg. Take a nudge
out of the nest with us and you'll be
soaring in no time.
You in? Of course you are. Email
ben@werepair.org or call me at
(313) 3388-BEN and we'll be birds of
a feather.
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