ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / September 25, 2000

LAPLACE – Well, it’s that time again.

Time for students to hit the books, and time for me to help out another student with his math.

This is my second year as a HOSTS mentor at Glade School, and if I looked to my first year with a bit of trepidation, I am eager to start my mentoring duties this time around.

HOSTS, an acronym for Helping One Student To Succeed, is a community-based educational program that teams up one adult with one student for a year.

Once a week the mentor and the student get together in a classroom at Glade to go over math problems, work out fractions, decimals and scientific notation and get to know each other.

That’s the part I like – getting to know one another. That’s whatmakes the program so rewarding to both the mentor and the student.

Not only does the student, (and the mentor for that matter) learn how to manipulate numbers, but there is a bond formed that makes learning fun and fulfilling.

This week I met my new student and friend, Akeem Thompson. Akeemis a typical 14-year-old.

He likes to play basketball, (the Bulls are his favorite team), ride his bicycle and play video games, and he also likes to go shopping.

Akeem is originally from Kenner and recently moved to Cambridge Drive in LaPlace. He is the youngest of three children.He also likes to read, especially the Goosebump series of horror books. He would like to go into some sort of medical career. Akeem says he might go to medical school; he doesn’t know just yet.

But like a lot of students, he has a bit of problem with math, especially fractions and decimals.

That’s how he and I got together.

Lois Duhe, who is HOSTS coordinator, told me, “He is such a nice boy, but he is quiet. I’m sure you will get him to talk.”Well, it wasn’t too hard. We had to figure out how to do problemsusing scientific notation. You know, where you take these hugenumbers like 123,000,000,000,000,000 and reduce it to a manageable form like 1.23 X 1015. I mean, I had to go back into my musty, dusty memory and remember my old college chemistry classes and then explain it to Akeem.

After several problems Akeem had it down cold. With a big smile onhis face he finished up the rest of the problems without any hesitation, or my help.

After awhile we were joking and talking while doing math. Duhe hadto come over and tell us to keep it down because we were talking too loud. At my age.Imagine.We will be looking in on Akeem for the rest of the school year following his progress in school and in math. As an eighth-graderAkeem is facing a LEAP test in March, so learning his math will make a big difference in his scholastic career.

Duhe and her trusty assistant, Cajuana Matthews, are still looking for more volunteers. They can always use more HOSTS mentors. Akeem isn’t the only student who needs that all-important one-on- one instruction and friendship.

All these kids need to feel they are worth something. Don’t worryif you are good at math or not. You will be amazed at how much youremember once you start to get into it.It is fun, it is rewardingand it is very, very important.

Anybody who thinks they would like to help out in the education of a student should call Lois Duhe at Glade School at 652-2003 and she will be happy to train you to be a mentor. Do it for yourself,do it for the community, do it for a child.

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