BajaNomad

Tutoring Tidiana and Abraham's kids March 27 2021 GRADESupdate

BajaBlanca - 1-12-2021 at 03:51 PM


(For new readers, this is a project where we found tutors to teach 4 elementary school kids whose parents do not have enough education to help their own children through this 2021 pandemic.)


The kids are back at school! These are the photos I have gotten so far!























I just noticed that Jireth is left handed and we need to get her some left handed scizzors. My kid is left handed and I seem to remember it was easier for him with them.


Anyone up for sponsoring again? Each tutor gets 400 pesos a week for tutoring 5 classes, for as long as it takes to do all the work the teacher has assigned for the day. There are 5 kids being tutored, 4 are Tidiana's and one is Grandma Chencha's grandson whom she is raising.

400 x 4 = 1600 pesos, at 19 pesos to the dollar this = U.S.$84/month.






The tutors are:

Alondra (Ismael)
Elizabeth (Emmanuel)
Jesus (Jireth Diana)
Danna (Isaac)
Sannia (Alejandro)





[Edited on 3-26-2021 by BajaBlanca]

[Edited on 3-28-2021 by BajaBlanca]

windgrrl - 1-12-2021 at 07:22 PM

Hola, Blanca,

Please check your U2U,
J

BajaBlanca - 1-12-2021 at 09:54 PM

Two sponsors are in! wowza

Danna and Jesus are funded.

Very grateful.

BajaBlanca - 1-13-2021 at 07:18 PM

Hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Great solution!!

Pics from today.


Danna and Isaac







Emmanuel








Jesus and Jireth Diana







Alejandro - this photo gives me the eebie jeebies. Fractions YUCK!







Ismael









BajaBlanca - 1-14-2021 at 07:13 PM

Jesus and Jireth today Jan 14th







Isaac








Alondra's munchkin Ismael






The tutors got paid today and I had Tidiana disburse the cash as I really want to remain far from other humans!


We still need 2 sponsors, pls consider this project, even if only one week at a time.



windgrrl - 1-16-2021 at 07:29 AM

Thank you for the wonderful updates and for the opportunity to make a difference.

Cheerio,
J

BajaBlanca - 1-16-2021 at 09:19 AM

Thanks, 2 sponsors in and 3 to go! I am teaching Brazilians online and can cover one week for all the teachers ($2000 pesos).

Alondra is about to start her senior thesis and will have to step down as a tutor. I am thinking of taking her up on her suggestion to use high schooler Alberto again. They teach in the back area of Alondra's house, they give Ismael and Elizabeth's student Emmanuel breakfast 5 days a week and Alondra says that she will monitor Alberto and support when needed.

I had asked Lesly if she was interested. Maybe you remember that we have paid her high school tuition over the years? She came over yesterday and I explained the project but she declined.

She also told me that her grades had fallen (GPA B) and she knew very well that her entire senior year had to be 10s and 9s or A average to participate in the college scholarship project so she is out of the running. I have learned my lesson and if a student is not really giving over 100% in high school than I cannot expect them to give their all in college which is so so so much harder. However, we will see her through high school.

Stay safe, everyone! Pics of today later.





BajaBlanca - 1-19-2021 at 04:54 PM

This is one of my favorite photos of the year! Sannia working with Alejandro today.



BajaBlanca - 1-20-2021 at 01:19 PM

Isn't he just intrigued? His facial expression is priceless.

I met up with a friend recently (at a huge distance) and she told me that he is very bullied in school for being so poor. Apparently, he was the only kid who did not have a new backpack at the beginning of the school year 2 years ago and some kids made fun of his older backpack. In retaliation, he ruined some of their backpacks.

I happen to have a beautiful one that someone donated - I have already set it aside. I will give it to him when his grades some in, if they are as good as in December.

I also intend to visit the classes, from 1st to 6th grades, to have a chat about We are all equal and education is the key to a better future.

We were quite poor growing up but Mom got us scholarships to a private elementary school in Miami. In retrospect, a lucky thing since we all wore the exact same uniform. Believe it or not, the only person who once made me feel bad was a nun! I had no idea we were on a scholarship and she mentioned it one day, in anger, do not remember what upset her.

Education is the key.

BajaBlanca - 1-20-2021 at 02:33 PM

Got another sponsor, whooohoooo!! Two to go.

Got a donation for the items that the kids' teachers have had them use for projects, awesome!!!






And got two new bills to be used to pay the tutor's tomorrow. They are pretty pretty.







BajaBlanca - 1-21-2021 at 12:29 PM

Payday! Spreading happiness and gratefulness.






Danna







Internet slow....the rest later!




jamiec - 1-21-2021 at 12:43 PM

Quote: Originally posted by lencho  
Quote: Originally posted by BajaBlanca  
Thanks, 2 sponsors in and 3 to go!

This is a great project for all those who are debating holding off on Baja travel due to COVID concerns vs locals needing tourist income: What a cool way to contribute directly to the local economy and the future of these young people, without exposing communities to potential outside disease vectors!

Blanca, again congratulations for enabling this. :smug::yes:


Could not agree more.

Blanca, for school supplies, is it possible to ship Amazon MX directly to you?

BajaBlanca - 1-21-2021 at 07:13 PM

Indeed it is! I ordered shoes from Amazon Mex for these kids and they took a month to arrive (they were imported from the US) but they got here.

That being said, we are on our way to san diego for the vaccine, as soon as it become available. I can u2u you our address there. Thanks for sponsoring a tutor jamiec!!

Interesting story behind the Amazon Mx delivery: I checked the status every day and one Friday, it said delivered (not) and listed the name Blana not Blanca, and delivered to La Paz, not La Bocana. I went online to chat with the nicest guy. explained that we were 500 miles north of La Paz.

He said that if the product was not delivered the same time time in the evening by the next Monday, to get back to him.

Sunday afternoon, my friend who runs the Disconsa store wrote that a box had arrived for me. All the shoes accounted for!


So here are the rest of the pics from todays payday.



Elizabeth








Jesus






Sannia







As I was going around to the tutors' houses, I noticed that one street was really full of litter so I did a quick clean up. The 1st of 2021!!


Before






After






Lastly, I got a video from Jesus with Jireth Diana in it. As you may recall, she has a learning disability (cannot memorize easily) and was not reading although in 3rd grade.

Guess what, folks, she is can recognize most of the letters and is starting to READ!

What a miracle. Thank you everyone who reads, comments and sponsors this project that was totally unexpected. What a miracle!


BajaBlanca - 1-28-2021 at 09:20 PM

Payday in La Bocana!

Alondra got the cash for herself and Elizabeth. She is starting her internship and will concentrate on that. Elizabeth's younger brother will take over.







Here is Jesus!








Miss Sannia and Alejandro. When I got there she told me it was his birthday! I gave him some cash for a haircut and to spend. Happy brithday boy!!








and Danna



BajaBlanca - 2-8-2021 at 09:38 PM

Here are the photos sent today by the tutors!



Everyone is studying away.



Alberto sent this one (he took over for Alondra while she does her internship)









Danna sent this one in last week of Isaac









Jesus sent this one of Jireth









Elizabeth sent this one today.










Sannia did not send one, not sure if her internet was lousy or if Alejandro missed class.



The best part of the day was when I had the kids come over and gave them their new socks that they had asked for to go in their new shoes that we bought them! We will be going to the States in 3 weeks again and I will get more.







BajaBlanca - 2-13-2021 at 06:30 PM

Yesterday was Payday!


Here are Alberto and his sister Elizabeth.







Danna was not home, so i stuck the cash under the front doormat and left the dog in charge! She got a kick out of hearing that.










Jesus was taking a shower when I arrived, so his stepsister happily took the cash for him.









and here are the students working away!



Emmanuel






Isaac











Ismael









and Jireth, who is learing how to read AND teaching her Mom how to read too!









Alejandro has not come to class in a week. Such a shame since he is so smart. I have not heard from the family at all. His tutor went by but the family does not even come to the door.





BajaBlanca - 2-18-2021 at 04:59 PM

Thursday Payday!

Three kids have been sick with colds and to be safe, we kept them home one or two days.


Here is Danna.








Elizabeth got money for her and for her brother since he was off helping his dad with bricklaying (his tutoring over already)











and here we have the happy Jesus! Such a perfect match for Jireth. He is so patient with her and she loves him to pieces.










Alejandro actually went MIA for a week. I wrote to his aunt, got no response. The school psychologist went to his house a couple times and no one came to the door. Today, he finally showed up! We are happy and we will be working with him on dealing with emotions in a healthier way.








I am going to need more funding if anyone wants to help out??!! Only one tutor has funding through March, the other 4 ran out this week.

Bendiciones Blessings

BajaBlanca - 3-14-2021 at 10:36 AM

Tutoring goes on! I have never looked more forward to a summer vacation!

All the students seem to be happy and thriving. Tidiana (mom) is learning how to read guided by one of the elementary school teachers. Gave her a notebook and pencil! She is really excited.


Here is Danna last payday.










Here are the kids doing different activities last week.

















Every week, Tidiana comes by with some radishes, cilantro etc. that she is now growing and selling for extra cash. This past week, two of the kids were going around with her wearing the goodwill clothes and shoes that our guests brought down last week. The kids are so proud.






If you remember, there was a very smart child named Alejandro, who was being brought up by his grandmother, known as Chencha. He has stopped the tutoring. The school psychologist went by his house, his tutor went by his house, but he is simply not interested any more.

This happened while we were in the States for our second vaccine. Such a shame.

BajaBlanca - 3-19-2021 at 04:12 PM

March 18th payday!

This week the teachers sent the tutors testing material. I am so anxious to see the results.

Yesterday was payday:



Danna







Jesus with Jireth








This is Alberto with Emmanuel and Ismael. Elizabeth (his sis) had already finished her tutoring and he was not quite done yet when I stopped by.






All the kids seem to be doing well...their grades will tell us how well!!





BajaBlanca - 3-19-2021 at 05:56 PM

That is a really good observation, Lencho. I just realized that we will not be here at the beginning of the school year and I hope and pray that classes will be live. Originally, I had thought to go in and volunteer in the classrooms so that the kids be accepted more readily. I think I am going to ask the tutors to go in with them. Thanks for making me think about this.

I do think Emmanuel, Isaac and Ismael are all going to be A students. That is going to help a lot. I do worry about Jireth ... I would love to get her into modeling classes, she has the most exotic look.

You and windgirrrl are tutoring sponsors, the other two students I myself am covering with my online English classes.

Devastating that Alejandro dropped out. Who drops out of 5th grade?

BajaBlanca - 3-20-2021 at 01:39 PM

Different times, for shur!

BajaBlanca - 3-25-2021 at 05:53 PM

Check out this report card! This, my friends, is truly a miracle. So proud of Alberto, Ismael's tutor. When I stopped by, I made sure both got lots of praise.

If you look at the previous grades, they were 7s or C's. Now they rose to 9s! 10 is A and 9 is A minus!!

To be honest, I teared up when I saw this report card at home, right before I left to pay the gang.





Here are the two winners for the day!






Here is Jesus with his well deserved cash - he has not gotten Jireth's grades yet.







Jireth today, writing out the alphabet. I asked why she was so down and he said she does NOT like writing out the alphabet.







Here is Danna today.






Her student Isaac's report card was excellent as well, the same grades as last time! All A's and A-.


Here is her student Isaac today.







Here are Elizabeth and Emmanuel - we are awaiting his report card.







Happy Thursday everyone! Thanks so much to those who are helping me help these kids. If anyone feels so inclined, They get 400 pesos a week for 5 classes. We have 2 sponsors, we could use another two :)))))




BajaBlanca - 3-27-2021 at 07:01 PM

I am good now Lencho! Thanks everyone, these are really hard times. Family members really struggling, I get it.

Now for some great news! Emmanuel got STRAIGHT A's!!! Proud of him and proud of Alberto!! Now for a well deserved Easter vacation.






So impressive! The other kids' grades have not come in yet.