The trip on 13 August 2013 to the new residence of Damon Preston was my third. I had in early July texted Evelyn, asking how the move had gone and inquiring as to the specific new address. She got right back to me, conveying the sentiment that the move went okay and letting me know the precise new address.
Soon after receiving this return message, I went by the new domicile, just to run a check-in with the family. I wanted Evelyn and Damon to know that I was serious about continuing to be a presence in Damon’s life, even with the family’s move to St. Paul.
So that check-in was the first visit to the new residence. The second came a few days later, just as I was about to visit my own family in the Southwest. At that time, I left the book mentioned in Part Two of this account and agreed with Damon that he would read at least five articles (remember that he went beyond this goal to read seven articles) while I was gone. Before I met with Damon and Evelyn, though, on my way into the apartment building, I ran into Marcel Gifford, the erstwhile significant other of Evelyn and de facto stepfather to Damon.
Marcel was elated to see me, and I was similarly glad to see him. Marcel had grieved over loss of contact with Damon when Evelyn had made her sudden move of residence to far South Minneapolis back in late September 2012. During the entire time (the remainder of academic year 2012-2013) that I had picked up Damon at the Southside address, Marcel had been physically absent and was never mentioned by Evelyn. I still do not know the details, but Marcel’s presence at this still newer address in St. Paul signaled to me that Marcel was at least back on speaking terms with Stacey and that he was present in Damon’s life again.
I inquired as to how Marcel was doing. He seemed upbeat, letting me know that among various gigs as a cook was one that appeared promising for long-term employment, a position that would have him using his skills on the food staffs at several sites of the Minneapolis Public Schools. I wished him well and went forth to my visit with Evelyn, Damon, and Damon’s little brother, Javon.
Then when I arrived for the third visit, detailed in Part Two above, I found that it was Marcel who was keeping Damon and Javon on that Tuesday, 13 August 2013, while Evelyn pursued a three-day-a-week job. I took high interest in this circumstance. When my academic session with Damon was complete, I let Marcel know that I had a bit of time and would work with Javon for a while. This was my first formal session with Javon, who for several years had watched as I picked Damon up for our sessions and had for a long time wanted to go. Evelyn had asked me about working with Javon even when he was four years old; now that he is five and about to enter kindergarten, I signaled that I would make the time.
I ran Javon through a quick oral basic skills exam for numerical sense and verbal ability. Javon had attended preschool classes but had not, as revealed in this exam, learned what he should have learned upon entry to kindergarten. Some of his ABCs were shaky, and he did not count as adroitly as students who have had the best early childhood training do these days. So I’ll have a heightened sense of responsibility to make sure that Javon gets off to the right start through kindergarten, ensuring that by the time he enters Grade 1, he will not only be ready but every bit as academically well-prepared as children from families living in, say, toney areas of Minneapolis such as Linden Hills and Lowry Hill.
By the time that I had finished this first session with Javon, Evelyn had returned to the apartment from work, and it was she to whom I gave the report at the door. She was gratified that Damon had learned as much as he had, and she was elated that I had found time to work with Javon. She said nothing about Marcel’s presence. But I have the definite sense that Marcel is back in Evelyn’s life, that he is living with the family again, and that he is poised to resume pertinent roles that he had been performing at both the first apartment off Glenwood and the second off Olson Highway.
Knowing the family situations of my students is crucial. I was always aware of how Evelyn’s distancing herself from Marcel might affect Damon. As the family went through its struggles in autumn 2012, I was extra careful to speak to Damon in a loving and concerned way, to examine his face for any signs of distress, and to be ready with quips to cheer him up, even as I nurtured his academic life and praised him for his accomplishments. Just as going to the new residence signals to the family that I will remain dedicated to our relationship, understanding shifting circumstances of family composition and definition is also important. Taking Javon on the same academic and life journey onto which I have thrust Damon tells the family that I care about each member and want to maximize the success of all of those in the up and coming generations.
In Part Five of this series I will give some overall reflections on the microcosmic nature of my interaction with Damon and his family on Tuesday, 13 August 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment