Posted: 4/12/05
Volunteers helping with academics and more at Main Street Academy
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Third graders Tanner Steele and Sean Connor took turns reading a story from a reading anthology with Mary Jane Hendel last Wednesday.
ìIs it a true story?î Hendel asked about the story, called Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo.
ìItís fantasy,î Sean answered.
ìAll right!î Hendel responded. She asked if they could find a rhyming device in the story.
ìIt just kind of makes you laugh,î Connor said.
ìWhat rhymes with Nile?î
Hendel said.
Tanner studied the page, then answered, ìStyle.î
They kept reading, with Hendel mixing her tips (ìYou hear with your earî) with a good dose of encouragement and warmth.
Tanner was skeptical about parts of the story. ìFour hundred ducks came?î he asked.
ìThat sounds excessive,î Hendel agreed.
ìHe couldnít eat that much,î Tanner said.
Thatís how they spent their half hour together. Hendel had to ride herd on the boys a few times. Once they got distracted and started arguing. ìLetís see if we can focus here,î she said, with just the right amount of firmness. The boys quit fidgeting and settled back into the book.
When their time was up, the boys left the tiny room in the office of Caledonia Elementary School and returned to their regular teacher, Marsha Sawle.
Hendel, 74, then took a few minutes to explain her work there. She is one of 10 volunteers, all former teachers, in a program called Main Street Academy. Principal Connie Hesse started the program on January 31. It seems to be working well.
Kids who need a little extra help with things like reading, writing, or math get to have some one-on-one time with some very qualified and capable teachers who just happen to be retired.
Hendel feels itís important to focus on kids and give them personal attention. That day had been her first session with Sean and Tanner, and she was impressed with their vivid imaginations.
ìItís just so much fun,î she said. ìEvery kid is special.î
While we were visiting, Hesse came in and gave Hendel a hug. The program is not only about academics but about emotional needs too, said Hesse, whose embrace gave credence to her words.
One student told her mother that it would be taking away her favorite toy if her Main Street Academy teacher were taken away, Hesse said. ìItís just unbelievably powerful.î
ìItís that attachment,î Hendel said.
Hesse is hoping that the program grows, perhaps into afternoon sessions. (Itís mostly offered in the mornings now.)
Connection is the key
After Hesse left, Hendel said she starts her sessions with questions, and asks things like how was their weekend. ìItís a connection first, before anything happens.î
Then she checks to see what the teachers sent with the kids. She always tries to leave room for thoughts and feelings. For example, if a student says they donít like a math drill, Hendel can talk about the importance of math. ìBecause for heavens sake, we donít all like the same things,î she said.
Itís a pleasure to be with the students, and sharing her enthusiasm for words and stories, Hendel added. ìAnd share the enthusiasm for life, really.î
Schools belong to all of us, Hendel feels, and people should contribute when they can.
Hendel taught secondary art and English in public schools and at St. Theresaís College in Winona in her young adult life in the 1950s. She took time off to raise her four children (with her husband Georgeís help of course). Their children are Greta Ingvalson, Katie Ullsperger, and Matt and Karl hendel.
She then received her masters degree in counseling, and did child custody evaluations for Houston County.
Another Main Street Academy volunteer, Leonette Eikens, 83, was waiting for second grader Shelby Bedard.
Eikens taught fourth grade, then took time off to raise a family. She then because a reading specialist before retiring in 1987 with 29 years of teaching.
Eikens thinks the program is a good one, a sentiment that everyone seems to agree with. ìI like to see people read well,î she said. ìItís something Iím real interested in.î
Practice is the key when it comes to reading, Eikens believes. ìItís just like any sport or anything, you need to practice she said.î Doing that in a one-on-one situation, helping them enjoy reading, helping them with the mechanics of reading, that all makes a lot of sense to Eikens.
Teacher likes it
Second grade teacher Marsha Sawle finds the new program beneficial for many of the same reasons that Hesse and the volunteers stated. ìTheyíre just kind of like an extra hand there,î she said.
Students get more time for oral reading and discussion, plus individual attention to help master basic math skills, problem solving vocabulary review, and writing exercises, Sawle said.
Sometimes the students need an extra boost, and sometimes they need a challenge. ìWe can send somebody for a little enrichment too,î she said. ìWe can rotate the kids in and out as we feel the need.î
Sawle said she had a student who was gone the previous week, so she will send her to the academy to take a few tests.
Sawle also appreciates that the volunteers are reliable. ìTheyíre always here. That is tremendous,î Sawle said. They are well-rounded in the education world, she added.
The biggest challenge for the teachers is finding the time to squeeze the academy in, Sawle said. If a couple students leave the classroom, she canít teach new concepts to the rest of the class. ìWeíve been able to work around that,î she said. ìAnd I think the individual attention has been well worth it.î
Familiar faces
The 10 volunteers who are working in the Main Street Academy program are Jana Dittmer, Leonette Eikens, Ed and Barb Ferkingstad, Sibyl Floyd, Pam Griffith, Jo Hefte, Mary Jane Hendel, Pam Heuslein, and Bev Markegard. The two substitutes are Betty (Hill) Schwartzhoff and Shirley Schroeder. If youíve gone to Caledonia school in the past 40 years, chances are youíve had one of these retired teachers, from Ed Ferkingstadís world history to Miss Hillís speech class. They are still at it, helping 28 elementary students with language arts, math, reading, and writingñand other things that go beyond the regular curriculum.
Caledonia Argus
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