Tuesday, October 13, 2009

New experience

A friend told me about a new volunteering opportunity. I was both excited and leery when I agreed to help out. I didn't know what to expect and the idea of waking up before sunrise gave me the prickly feeling I get on my skin when I regret committing to something.

I arrived a bit early and waited for others to show up. By the time 8am rolled around, I was alone with a woman who was about twice my age. She was extremely helpful and pointed me to some workbooks. Turns out that her name is Diane and that she would be my partner for the day. As other volunteers arrived, Ms. Diane explained the class break down. There are two classes, one for the fast learners and one for the slow learners. She explained with a smile that she was one of the "slow" learners. I wish I could have thought of a way to flip that comment into a positive. I'm not sure what events took place in her life that prevented, discouraged or caused her to make the decision to leave school before graduating. Maybe I will learn that when getting to know her through this program. Something about her tone and the nervous smile on her face made me uncomfortable. I hope I'm able to help her and that I never say or do anything that makes her feel inferior. I feel blessed to be able to help...

More to come.

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