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Diary of an Afterschool Director
Diary Entry #3
8/30/09
8:15pm
They told me it would be the hardest job I'd ever love. They were right...and now I can't turn back!
2 years, 9 months, 25 days. That's exactly the amount of time since accepting my beloved job of Afterschool Program Manager for Visalia Unified School District. It's also the amount time it has taken me to finally see a light at the end of the after-school tunnel. Had I really known what challenges I'd face by accepting this position back in November of 2006, I may have never taken the offer. Had I really known what stresses I'd endure, I probably wouldn't have taken the offer. But had I really known what it meant to become a part of such a fascinating field of work I would of never believed it! For every knock taken, every door slammed, every meeting gone wrong, it's been more than worth it to be here today - still standing.
May 12th, 2007 - Average Daily Attendance - 37 students.
October 21st, 2007 - Average Daily Attendance - 48 students.
April 17th, 2008 - Average Daily Attendance - 46 students.
October 13th, 2008 - Average Daily Attendance - 63 students.
March 28th, 2009 - Average Daily Attendance - 71 students.
August 28th, 2009 - Average Daily Attendance - 109 students. (and that's just the beginning!)
Looking back (while reading my own typing) I might say it's been a long road, but the years have flown by and it seems just like yesterday we launched our first day of programming. And oh, how much we've learned! From teachers in the classroom facilitating academic time, to bringing our community-based partners on campus, to back to having teachers in the classrooms. Not one of the last three school years have been structured in the same way. No doubt desperate to find the answer. Wishing there were others (programs) that were as unique as ours and had already cracked the code. However, it wasn't until a little one-night trip to San Diego for a BOOSTer Conference Committee meeting that the answer I needed appeared.
Tia Quinn, BOOSTer Conference Committee Chair, asked that we commit to a couple of in-person meetings to birth the state's first high school after-school conference. I obliged, but with one request. She help me maximize my time away by securing a visit to a "brightly shining" middle school program by the bay. I believe her first choice was unable to accommodate the visit, but she mentioned a program bearing strong numbers that she had not visited herself.
Sitting across from National City Middle School principal Lee Romero and afterschool coordinator Bobby Bliesch was overwhelming at first. A novice in afterschool programs and somewhat new to the education field, it was difficult at first to wrap my head around their program structure. But one thing I did understand is that they had something worth learning more about.
Tia and I left an hour later still discussing the intricacies of their unique program. Later that evening on the plane it hit me! Their philosophy was not just about "making the numbers" or "sustaining the funding" or "meeting the requirements of the grant" but rather to increase the academic performance of their students. API. The next day I decided that the rest of the 08-09 school year would be dedicated to pursuing the same goals for Visalia Unified afterschool programs.
August 28th, 2009 - Average Daily Attendance - 109 students! And tomorrow an additional 125 athletes at each of my schools will participate in our afterschool academic tutorial program before practicing.
You ask if hard work pays off? You ask if having faith reaps rewards?? I say yes! Yes, yes, yes! Now! There are too many ways this triumph can come tumbling down, so I remain humble, attentive, and just as hard-working as always. There is too much to loose now and so all my attention must go towards supporting and sustaining this house we've finally built. I happily give praise away to my principals who have overcome significant challenges to pursue this venture. I happily give credit where credit is due - my principals. And if you ask me how we did it, I will happily tell you it was because of our principals!
Get the picture folks!! :)
Activate. Educate. Elevate.
8/30/09
8:15pm
They told me it would be the hardest job I'd ever love. They were right...and now I can't turn back!
2 years, 9 months, 25 days. That's exactly the amount of time since accepting my beloved job of Afterschool Program Manager for Visalia Unified School District. It's also the amount time it has taken me to finally see a light at the end of the after-school tunnel. Had I really known what challenges I'd face by accepting this position back in November of 2006, I may have never taken the offer. Had I really known what stresses I'd endure, I probably wouldn't have taken the offer. But had I really known what it meant to become a part of such a fascinating field of work I would of never believed it! For every knock taken, every door slammed, every meeting gone wrong, it's been more than worth it to be here today - still standing.
May 12th, 2007 - Average Daily Attendance - 37 students.
October 21st, 2007 - Average Daily Attendance - 48 students.
April 17th, 2008 - Average Daily Attendance - 46 students.
October 13th, 2008 - Average Daily Attendance - 63 students.
March 28th, 2009 - Average Daily Attendance - 71 students.
August 28th, 2009 - Average Daily Attendance - 109 students. (and that's just the beginning!)
Looking back (while reading my own typing) I might say it's been a long road, but the years have flown by and it seems just like yesterday we launched our first day of programming. And oh, how much we've learned! From teachers in the classroom facilitating academic time, to bringing our community-based partners on campus, to back to having teachers in the classrooms. Not one of the last three school years have been structured in the same way. No doubt desperate to find the answer. Wishing there were others (programs) that were as unique as ours and had already cracked the code. However, it wasn't until a little one-night trip to San Diego for a BOOSTer Conference Committee meeting that the answer I needed appeared.
Tia Quinn, BOOSTer Conference Committee Chair, asked that we commit to a couple of in-person meetings to birth the state's first high school after-school conference. I obliged, but with one request. She help me maximize my time away by securing a visit to a "brightly shining" middle school program by the bay. I believe her first choice was unable to accommodate the visit, but she mentioned a program bearing strong numbers that she had not visited herself.
Sitting across from National City Middle School principal Lee Romero and afterschool coordinator Bobby Bliesch was overwhelming at first. A novice in afterschool programs and somewhat new to the education field, it was difficult at first to wrap my head around their program structure. But one thing I did understand is that they had something worth learning more about.
Tia and I left an hour later still discussing the intricacies of their unique program. Later that evening on the plane it hit me! Their philosophy was not just about "making the numbers" or "sustaining the funding" or "meeting the requirements of the grant" but rather to increase the academic performance of their students. API. The next day I decided that the rest of the 08-09 school year would be dedicated to pursuing the same goals for Visalia Unified afterschool programs.
August 28th, 2009 - Average Daily Attendance - 109 students! And tomorrow an additional 125 athletes at each of my schools will participate in our afterschool academic tutorial program before practicing.
You ask if hard work pays off? You ask if having faith reaps rewards?? I say yes! Yes, yes, yes! Now! There are too many ways this triumph can come tumbling down, so I remain humble, attentive, and just as hard-working as always. There is too much to loose now and so all my attention must go towards supporting and sustaining this house we've finally built. I happily give praise away to my principals who have overcome significant challenges to pursue this venture. I happily give credit where credit is due - my principals. And if you ask me how we did it, I will happily tell you it was because of our principals!
Get the picture folks!! :)
Activate. Educate. Elevate.
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