Recently we published a story about Yusuf written back in 2018. Here’s a recent update.
Over the eight years we have lived in this neighborhood, we have met hundreds of different children and their families. Each child is unique and gifted in different ways. Some children have extra challenges, whether it is their parental situation, financial struggles, or a learning disability. Some children seem self-motivated and excel. Others seem to lack excitement about the learning process, dragging their feet and complaining about every task.
Yusuf* was one of my students in our two year kindergarten program. He started a year later than most kids his age, so he was one of the oldest in his class (to read a story I wrote about Yusuf two years ago click here). For two years, I watched him struggle. He missed almost as many days as he came to school. When we would do home visits, the excuse was often he just “didn’t want to come to school.” After we got to know the family better, we learned the days he did not come were often days his mom did not have 40 cents to give him to buy snacks at school (a cultural expectation that the children hold tightly. Without their snack money, they do not want to come to school).
For years, Yusuf’s father was a garbage collector – a half day shift, pulling a cart around a middle-class neighborhood to collect the garbage. However, as is often the case, Yusuf’s dad was “filling in” for someone who “owned” the route, and a few months ago the route was taken away from him. He now is just a garbage scavenger, gathering whatever recyclables he can along roads outside the community. Yusuf’s 18 year-old brother dropped out of elementary school years ago and also has been working to help the family.
Yusuf started first grade back in July. To be honest, I did not have high hopes for him. With is non-stellar attendance record, I guessed he would struggle in school and not last long.
Imagine my surprise when we returned from our six-month furlough and learned from Yusuf’s mom that he is thriving in school! He ranks 4th in his class! Yusuf’s mom proudly showed me Yusuf’s school report card, which had a lot of high marks. Yusuf’s mom is illiterate; on school forms she has Yusuf sign her name for her. She went on and on about how grateful she is for House of Hope – how we prepared Yusuf for school.
It was one of those moments where I really felt the joy and the weight of the responsibility we carry. We have the privilege of preparing these kids to enter an educational system that will not be extra patient or give special attention to them. We get to give them a head-start; so that when they start school they already are able to read smoothly and to do basic math. We get to prepare students to surprise their teachers— “where did Yusuf go to kindergarten?”
House of Hope students are excelling in their elementary schools- many ranking #1 in their grade! But for me, hearing that Yusuf is doing so well confirmed for me how important this work is. As a teacher, I can never stop believing in a child’s potential. A teacher must carry the hope and continue to see a vision for their students even when the children themselves do not have it.
(A little disclaimer: not all students like Yusuf excel. Some continue to struggle. Some never master reading, and drop out before we can help them. As we walk around the community, there are plenty of kids we know who do not have happy endings to their educational tales. Perhaps because of this, we must celebrate the little victories…. like Yusuf).
* Names have been changed to protect privacy.
