It's Elementary My Dear . . .
It's Elementary My Dear . . .
Dreams of providing Elementary Education to kids who might otherwise be overlooked by the system, that is.
Dylan went from being a struggling dyslexic average 'C' student in Elementary & Middle school to an Honor Roll Student throughout High School who was recently inducted in the National Honor Society and is also a member of the National Beta Club.
Both his Junior & Senior years he has been dual enrolled in college and spent this past summer taking additional college classes at a nearby University to further his educational goals of becoming a 3rd Grade Elementary School Teacher.
Why 3rd grade you ask? Dylan struggled with dyslexia which went undiagnosed for many years and was labeled as "lazy" by inexperienced teachers who pushed for medicating his "issue" rather than altering their teaching method. We refused to medicate, insisting that he be tested for learning disabilities. In 3rd grade Dylan had a teacher who "got it" and realized that he was far from lazy, he was an exceptionally bright child being overlooked and pushed around by the very system that was supposed to be helping him.
In Dylan's words, "I want to teach 3rd grade because kids at that age are old enough so you aren't spending your all of your time providing childcare, they're eager to learn and the world is still new and exciting to them. Their eyes are bright, full of wonder at the world and they're a blast to be around. If they're struggling, I can make a difference and turn it around so they don't go through the bullying I endured at that age."
Dylan is a hard-working kid who spent 2 years working with his dad in construction; mostly stripping roofs in the sweltering Southern summer heat, but for the past two years has also worked 25+ hours a week at a local fast food joint; saving every penny he can for school.
Although his current school schedule this semester only has 2 classes (both Honors/AP classes), as soon as class is over Dylan heads to the local Elementary school where he mentors 15-18 kids per week for several hours per day on a rigid schedule.
When he's not working he can be frequently found at the local City library tutoring other kids and young adults or at the fine arts center community theater auditioning for the latest production, vounteering at various community events, or working out with the wrestling team preparing to head to States, following their recent win at Regionals.
We've set aside as much money as we can for Dylan's education, (we did not anticipate the expense of college while he was still in high school!) and he's applied for multiple scholarships & grants, but despite his 3.7 GPA and decent SAT scores, they seem to be few and far between.
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