Big Brothers Big Sisters

My time with Bailey during the Big Brothers Big Sisters program is such a blessing and such a great opportunity.  I started meeting with Bailey the fall of 2012 and I have continued to meet with her each week for 45 minutes to an hour.  Each week I try to plan a different activity for us to do together. One week is something educational.  For example, we sometimes read a chapter book together, practice for her spelling test, or work on homework.  The next week we do a fun non-academic activity together.  Some of these activities have been painting our nails together, blowing bubbles outside, or playing a board game. 

Bailey, a fourth grader who attends elementary school in Waverly, is a fun, giggly, smart, and stubborn little girl who does not come from the best home.  The reason she was put into the Big Brothers Big Sisters program was because of how her parents did not require her to attend school each day.  She watched her parents get divorced at a young age, and it is also very evident that she doesn’t have many rules at home either. 

To help her in school and social settings I have tried to do different activities that would encourage a more positive view of authority figures.  Rather than her talking back to a teacher because the teacher is incorrect, we have tried learning about a polite way to inform the teacher of their mistake.  Additionally, instead of yelling at a classmate for being in Bailey’s personal space, we have tried to learn how to respectfully tell them that they should scoot over. 

Unfortunately, many of the social skills we learn together are things that parents teach their children.  However, Bailey’s parents have not done the best job of this, so the Big Brothers Big Sisters coordinator and myself are trying to help Bailey as much as possible.  Over the past year you can see how much help this organization has helped her.  Her grades are all up by nearly 10% on average, her attendance has gone up from 3 days to 4.25 days of school per week, and she has not yet been sent to the principal’s office this school year. 

I am so proud of the work that I have put into finding activities that are fun and will help Bailey in school.  I am even more proud of the work and determination that Bailey has begun putting into her schoolwork though.  Big Brothers Big Sisters is such a great organization, and I am so happy I decided to join this organization so that I can watch Bailey progress over the years to come. I encourage anyone who enjoys volunteering and service work to join this great organization.