Kicking sand into a black girl's fresh braids probably wasn't the best way to make friends for six-year-old Marshall Stone. In fact, that's how he found a rival.
Love Lewis has always disliked the boy that had her mother on a rampage when she came h...
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Sitting in Mrs. Porter's office almost three weeks later feels like karma for some heinous act I've committed in the past. How many times can I be disappointed in one month? Maybe more than I think.
"How do you feel about kids?"
The question makes my eye twitch. Definitely karma, "Kids? I mean, wh — why kids?"
Mrs. Porter laughs softly as she arranges some files. My mind wanders for a second. What happened to everything being digital? "Rest assured, Ms. Lewis, I don't mean having them, I mean managing them."
Do I like kids? Well, I have to considering my mother has one on the way but it's definitely a bonus when they can be given back. I give her a quick answer — one not too lacking in empathy but not too eager to be completely surrounded by them at a moment's notice.
"I tolerate them."
Is that the best I can do?
"Well," She seemingly accepts it and pulls a sheet of paper from within her stack of papers, "I'm sure you've seen the flyers around campus but a local non-profit organization called KidzTime is looking for students who have time to volunteer on weekends."
I read the flyer. It's wholesome work, non-paying but that's currently my least concern. It's a school year-long commitment, from September to May. September is almost over, however, so once again, I'm late to the game.
Mrs. Porter seems to read my mind, "They haven't gotten as much engagement as they were hoping to get so they're still looking for volunteers. Rolling admissions, you can say."
"College students from all over the region work there as well as some sponsors and big company execs donate their time and money to fund some of their activities so this is one way to get yourself out there."
I continue reading the sheet. The kids range from elementary school to middle school ages. They're children from low-income families who are nurtured in this organization, usually through interacting with their environment and nature. They go on fully funded trips to zoos, animal shelters, and forests to learn more about their environment.
It's a cute program. One that counts as experience in the humanities.
"I know it's not paying, but it's an opportunity that looks good on your resume, as well as increasing your community service hours." She highlights and I mentally agree, "If you're interested, I can email you the link to directly apply or you can just go to the website on the flyer. They need to run background checks so have your headshot and resume ready."
Not to treat this like my last choice but it kind of is. "I'll apply as soon as I can."
"Great." She claps her hands and sends me a wide grin, "Glad I could help. You know where to find me if you need anything else."
Leaving the office seconds as the best thing to happen to me today — KidzTime somehow being the first. Am I mentally prepared to work with children on the days I'm supposed to be giving myself a break?
