On Mother’s Day we celebrate the bonds we have with some of the most loving and nurturing people we know. At Boston Partners in Education, we’re always celebrating our wonderful academic mentors, who nurture and encourage a dedication to academic achievement in the students they serve.
Recently, an academic mentor from our Math Rules! program got the opportunity to meet his student’s mom. Mother, child and volunteer were able to enjoy the successes of the mentoring relationships all together!
Steve Herrera has been a Math Rules! volunteer for the past five years. One day this year, his student Andrea ran up excitedly to tell Steve about her high score on a math quiz. As they high-fived, Steve was greeted by a woman with a visitor’s pass. “Hi, I’m Andrea’s mother, Amy. I came in to volunteer with her class today so I could meet the person who’s been tutoring my kid, and thank him for helping her bring up her math grades.”
Amy Shamatta, her daughter Andrea and Boston Partners’ academic mentor Steve
Since Andrea’s been a participant in Math Rules!, her mom noticed the boost in her grades, and realized that Andrea had become more interested in school as well. “She does like going to school more this year. Being confident about her grades is part of the reason, and taking tests is less stressful thanks to Mr. Steve,”Amy said.
She’s also noticed that her daughter has become more confident. Following Steve’s suggestion of timing her while she does her homework, Andrea’s mother saw that her daughter finishes homework faster, and is more confident in doing it on her own.
“Andrea has never been the first to raise her hand in school, as she is a bit shy, but it is important to her to do well,” Amy said. “Now that her self-esteem has been raised, she feels confident enough to help her younger sister with her homework.”
Steve surprised the thankful mother by telling her that his hour of tutoring is the best hour of his week. While the meeting was brief, Steve has described this encounter as one of his best mentoring moments in his five plus years of math tutoring!