Seeing a child wriggle with enthusiasm after successfully reading words that previously had seemed indecipherable is one of the highlights of Mary McCullough’s week.
As a volunteer at Lipscomb Elementary School with the Off Our Rockers Intergenerational Program, sponsored by the Senior Citizens of Greater Dallas, McCullough provides grandmotherly encouragement and assistance to children who are having trouble with their school work.
Some of the children have families in which English is rarely spoken, while others simply have not learned language and math concepts as quickly as their classmates.
Whatever the cause, McCullough and five other senior volunteers provide one-on-one friendship and assistance every Tuesday afternoon.
“The teachers bring the children and their books to our tables, and we talk with them and help them with their work,” McCullough says.
“Some of them are just craving love and attention, which I can give.”
McCullough especially recalls a fourth-grade boy she worked with last fall.
“He really got interested in reading, and his eyes would just light up,” she says. “We developed a mutual friendship, and he would come running to our table each week.”
McCullough, who was born and reared in Old East Dallas, also took time to talk with her pupil (who has since moved away) about his experiences and to share some from her childhood.
Developing personal relationships with children to let them know that people in the community care about them and want to see them happy and successful is a key component of the nearly 20-year-old Off Our Rockers Program, which also is funded by the Dallas Area Agency on Aging.
“Spending time with kids can help boost their self-esteem,” says Carolyn Hasley, a program director for Off Our Rockers.
Pat Wendel, who also volunteers at Lipscomb, is beginning to see results from her mentoring relationship with a second-grade boy who initially was a reluctant pupil. During more than six weeks of visits, Wendel gradually has won his cooperation and believes his reading has improved. Because the boy has a short attention span, Wendel varies the activities during their hour together.
“We talk about our families or other things, and then we get down to work on his math and reading,” she says. “After we have studied for a while, I always allow time for a game because he loves to play tick-tack-toe with a board I bring.”
Wendel, a retired nurse, has three grown children and a granddaughter but realized she also had time to share with children who need an extra boost.
“It’s kind of a challenge,” she says. “I would like to think that I’m really helping this child and that someday he may finally learn to read well.”
The Lipscomb faculty and administrators would welcome other senior volunteers. Off Our Rockers volunteers at the school this year also include Nadene Conner, Elizabeth Biggio, Dorothy Johnson and Betty Bowland.
Off Our Rockers currently has about 200 volunteers working in Dallas elementary schools. Volunteers may choose the school where they would like to work. Most volunteers are paired with children from kindergarten through third grade.
For details, call Carolyn Hasley with Senior Citizens of Greater Dallas at 214-823-5700.
