"Got it all Wholesale Gold and Diamonds"
A Federal and State of California Nonprofit Corporation
Cleophas "Mike" McAlpin...Executive Director/Chief Tutor
February 6, 2006 Next page Previous Page Home
Page 18: Black History Month ...... And Still I Rise!
Enter Mr. Napoleon Lacey, Astro-Scientist! Enter Doctor Waldo Banks, a Retired Dean of several major colleges!
Super bowl Sunday brought more than just cheers from nearly 50 guest at my residence: it brought an "Astro-Scientist" (Retired), Mr. Napoleon Lacey of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, into my presence; That Astro-Scientist talked about deep space explorations like he was about to send an Explorer to far off Jupiter on tomorrow: It brought the modest Dean of a major College, Doctor Banks into my presence. Doctor Banks seemed too modest to take credit for directing the campuses of several major colleges and universities. Yes, these two magnificent specimens of educational and social power have joined forces with The Free Tutoring Service. Of course, there was also the ever-present Doctor Michelle Gray of the UCLA Research Center, and Colonel/CEO (Retired) Aubry McAlpine, and Mayor Jim Dear of the City of Carson, and others of educational Master Degrees and the like. I will let you know about some of them (Lula, Joel) at a later date.
We all hollered and cheered for our favorite Super Bowl team. We all ate the wonderful meal before us and drank the beverages before us. We ate the delicious cakes made by our Volunteer Tutor, Peggye Dunson, High level Supervisor of the Social Services System of the County of Los Angeles, and her Superior Diane Beane; it so wonderful that they all are......Volunteer Tutors of a Free Tutoring Service!
I called Shalay (13) and Cleasena (19) when Mr. Lacey began to talk during halftime. He began to talk of his profession. He seemed in a hyper-state as he described huge satellite antennae as tall as the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. He seemed in the midst of Cape Canaveral at the launch of a "deep space vehicle" to some far off heavenly body. Mr. Lacey (Napoleon) attended Howard University and studied Law. He did finish Law school, but wanted to become a Scientist instead. And that he did! Napoleon will be sending e-mail related to his career, and they will be input into this Site. I can hardly wait! Thank you, Napoleon, for giving Cleasena, Shalay and me the wonderful "half time Lecture". I was excited and fascinated by your informative and very interesting lecture!
Well, examinations at schools are now over. What were the results? Who made what grade in which subject? The questions must now be answered with regards to the students.
We know that Shalay made a "B" on her Physics exam at Dodson Middle School. She received a "congratulations" but also received a "you'd better remember each and every question you missed" lecture. We really appreciate the "B", but it should have been an "A"!
Ke' Ontra assures her mother and me that she has made an "A" on her Geometry final. That would be in sharp contrast to the previous 2 "F" grades of the past! We will find out today for sure when I call her Geometry teacher, Ms. Shadee of Banning High School! Newsflash...Ke' Ontra flunked! And now, it is time to figure out why a young lady knows the work, but yet is willing to fail at it!
Jasmine thinks she did bad on her Algebra One examination. Just "saying that she did bad" was reason enough to threaten her with a suspension from our midst! Jasmine seemed to cloud up (tear up) at the slightest mention of a suspension because she has absolutely become "locked into this Organization", bonding with several other students so much that she considers them sisters and brothers. Our threat of suspension is real, and Jasmine tried desperately to let me know that the teacher punished her for talking to some other student during examination time and deducted from her point total. That had better be the case, as I reminded her that if I were to tutor her at the intense level of the past 2 weeks, and if she were to fail, then there is nothing more I can do, to assist her, and so she must be banished from our midst! This hollering and screaming "beratement" caused a few tears to flow, but I do not care about tears, I care about making "A" grades, and nothing more. Jasmine is on probation now. She grabbed a dry erase board and immediately went to work on one of my previous examinations, beginning with basic fractions and proceeding to the graphing of straight lines, etc, etc.
More reports of the final examinations will be placed here. I must give the teachers ample time to grade the exams. I can hardly wait to assess my effectiveness. I can hardly wait to readjust my tutoring to wipe out all semblances of failure and replace those semblances with strictly "A" grades. I just might accept a "B" once in a while!
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