Once again, the day proved to be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Our volunteers tell the story…
“My experience today was great! I loved listening to the kid’s ideas...they were eager to participate. I enjoyed teaching them new things.” – Nergul Selimi, Power Construction (Kindergarten)
“I was impressed with their ability to process the information and think about being an entrepreneur. Most memorable was the last session when they understood the supply chain, ‘the missing sticker’.” – Terry Roche, Titan Equity (4th grade)
“I totally enjoyed spending the morning with the kids. I feel that I was able to communicate some good ideas and understanding about the community.” – Otis Usher, FEI (2nd grade)
“The students were excited and engaged and the experience was very rewarding. I liked their interest in exploring different careers.” Lucas Boyer, Advanced Resources (8th grade)
“I gained a better understanding of how hard teachers work. I enjoyed the curiosity of the students and I was impressed that one student budgeted less than suggested and increased savings & charity donations.”- Phil Maughan, FEI (7th grade)
“It was definitely a challenging but rewarding experience… I learned a lot about myself while teaching the kids.” – Aline Paggiaro, Controller (2nd grade)
“I enjoyed teaching today! It was great to learn about their cultural challenges regarding college and advising them about potential solutions.” – Jason Chess, First Midwest Bank (7th grade)
James Monroe Elementary School is located in the West Logan Square Community and has an enrollment of over 1,000 students. The school’s population is 90% Hispanic and 34% of the students are learning English as their second language. They have a strong focus on bringing technology into the classrooms and recently the school moved off probation for the first time in school history and is experiencing all time highs in nearly every metric.
The experience was both challenging and rewarding. It was humbling to walk in the shoes of a Chicago Public School teacher for even a few hours. We all have a new found respect and admiration for them.