April 9th, 2020
Strange days…
This is my first blog in a while. Since 2018! I was well intentioned when I started it: I wanted to convey the lessons I’ve learned in my years of experience in the educational and not for profit sectors. Hard earned lessons. Some from master teachers with years of experience. Many from my own mistakes: trial and error.
A funny thing happened after my first blog post though, I found myself on the frontlines of this war I’m going to describe, and was (and am) determined to do something about! What war? For the minds of souls of our youth and the community.
You see, I come from Chicago’s infamous Robert Taylor Homes housing projects (razed to the ground years ago now!). I made it out due to, among many things, education. Years later, as I entered the field of education as a certified teacher, I saw firsthand the results of poor education and ignorance, namely, poverty, violence, failing schools and poor health. It was more than can be addressed during the fleeting hours of the school day. I determined early on in my career that the only way to properly address this was to work with the youth, and their families, within these hours and OUTSIDE of them as well.
I started some tutoring, reading and mentoring programs and found myself overwhelmed at times by the sheer need for these programs and the lack of resources available to provide them. Writing and blogging was the last thing I had time for!
Long story short, today, as I write these words, the world is in the grip of a pandemic we haven’t witnessed in our lifetime… and that impact has affected families, businesses and education in a way that’s unprecedented.
Under a state enforced “stay at home” order, I’ve had not only a chance to ponder where we are as an organization providing tutoring and mentoring services, but the impact of these times on the youth and their families AFTER the order is lifted.
Dire, concerning times… As I write this, students all over the country have missed weeks of school. And for Chicago Public School students, this is on the heels of a teacher’s strike that cost them weeks of school already! Some school districts have already closed for the year. Some are waiting for another few weeks to find out what their child’s fate is. Graduations have been postponed or cancelled. Proms are in limbo. There have been no standardized or college entrance exam tests. Colleges and universities have cancelled in person classes, forcing students to continue their studies at home. Promotion policies are undecided…
Online based electronic learning systems are being rapidly implemented, but according to preliminary reports, many students are failing to log on (due to challenges such as access to computers/laptops, internet and technological savvy) and participate. Students in underserved communities, who were already struggling are falling even FURTHER behind.
There’s a need for Touchstone, and organizations like us, now more than ever! We will come through this pandemic, and on the other side will be waiting thousands of young people, and their communities, who will need knowledge and education more than ever!
We can’t do it alone. We have a comprehensive academic, mentoring and sustainability program that is designed to work with all community stakeholders to transform our neighborhoods and provide bright futures for all members of the community.
If you’re concerned about these issues and want to help, as an individual or organization, I invite you to contact me personally and have a conversation.
The Future is now...let’s change the world!
George Davis
Founder/CEO/Executive Director
Touchstone Tutoring & Mentoring Services, Inc.
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