Evelyn

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law that protects the educational rights of children and youth experiencing homelessness. The act was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on July 22, 1987 and serves thousands of needy children each year.

"Books and doors are the same thing. You open them, and you go through into another world." – Jeanette Winterson

Hi, my name is Evelyn, and I’m nine years old and in the fourth grade. They said I’m receiving some kind of special treatment here at my school because me and my mom had to move in with my grandma – we’re dislocated…or something like that. Anyways, it’s got something to do with a rule or law about not being able to live in or having to move away from your house. I guess what it really means is that I get to ride a school bus just for me, and I also can get extra help in the afternoons from a tutor with Reading – and best of all, we don’t even have to pay for it. Maybe now I will do better on those stupid tests that come around every year in May. I’m really nervous about having to take them, and I really want to pass them, too, because it’s the only way I will get promoted to the fifth grade, so maybe tutoring will help me.

I’ve been going to tutoring for seven weeks now. I’m totally surprised because I like it a whole lot more than I ever thought I would. My tutor isn’t a teacher but she does work at my school. She’s the person who counts all the money (like ice cream and field trip money) every day. She gives me free ice cream passes each time I come to tutoring, so that’s kind of neat. My tutor says even though she’s not a real teacher, her most favorite subject in all the world is Reading because she loves books so much. It’s kind of funny because her title at work is bookkeeper. She told me a funny story where a boy at my school asked if she was the keeper of books, and she had to explain her job was about money and not really about books. Anyways, she reads all my lessons to me first and then I have to read it all back to her. She always explains everything we read and talks about how she learned the same thing when she was my age. It seems like there’s always something extra she can tell me about what I’m studying, and I like that because it makes it a lot more interesting.

Sometimes, after I write out the answer to my lesson’s questions (my tutor always makes me write neat and complete sentences – and she double checks my grammar and punctuation), I reread the same lesson again. Practicing like this has helped me to remember things I usually forget, so I am really learning how to study and also learning new words better. This was what I had such a hard time with up until now, but I’m kind of proud of myself because I think I’m beginning to get the hang of it all. My tutor says she’s proud of me, too. And guess what? I actually like reading – I never thought I would until now.

My tutor is really nice. The other day I came after school to meet her in the workroom, and she asked if my feet hurt because I was walking funny. I was a little embarrassed, but I laughed and didn’t let on - and I didn’t tell her that sometimes the other kids make fun of me because my clothes aren’t as nice as theirs. I showed my tutor the small hole in the toe of my shoe and told her my shoes were a little too tight, but I let her know it was okay because my mom is going to try to buy me some new shoes – and some new clothes - next month. My tutor just smiled, nodded, and said, “That’s good”. I was glad she didn’t say anything to make me more embarrassed and also glad she didn’t see the holes in my pants. You see, my pants are a little bit tight, too, and my hand caught on a place the other day and they ripped, leaving some small holes. I only have two pairs of pants I can wear, but like I said, my mom is going to buy me some more clothes next month.

Last week, it was the first day of the week in tutoring, and we learned all about the wild frontier by reading stories about settlers and frontier men like Davy Crockett. It was fun and interesting. My tutor said when she was a little girl, there was a whole television show about Davy Crockett, and she never missed an episode. I kind of wish there was a show like that on television now so I could watch it.

When we finished my lesson and I was packing up my bookbag, my tutor handed me a big bag and said, “Surprise! These are for you.” Well, do you know what was in that bag? My tutor bought me two pairs of new shoes – a black pair and a brown pair - and three pairs of new pants! I was so excited I hugged her neck. She told me to check with my mom to make sure it was okay for me to have them, but I know my mom will say yes. I’m so happy that I won’t have to wear pants or shoes with holes anymore. When I got on the bus to go home, I gave my tutor a big smile and wave because I was so excited to have my new clothes.

On Thursday, my tutor surprised me again. It was the Book Fair at my school last week, so she bought me two fiction books, a kitty cat bookmark, and a sparkly pen that smells like bananas for my very own. She said she is so happy because I am learning so much and reading so much better, and she thought I deserved a reward. I almost cried because I hadn’t been able to buy anything from the Book Fair like everyone else in my class, but I finally had something of my own to show off for a change. I took my Book Fair presents to school the next day so everyone could see my books and stuff. I was so happy and proud - I felt just like all the other boys and girls in my class.

Well, today is finally the last day of my tutoring since the big tests start next week. I’m kind of sad but also excited because after all of that, school will be out for summer. My tutor didn’t make me do a whole lot of studying or lessons today since she brought cupcakes and juice to celebrate my last day. She also gave me more gifts - can you believe it? She gave me two books that she said were her most favorite books ever when she was a little girl: The Secret Garden and A Little Princess. She said she still loves these books so much and is sure I will like them, too now that I can read better. She even gave her own daughters the same books because these books are so special and so much like magic. She told me the two books are about little girls my age who had to leave their homes, too – at least for a little while – and had to live with someone else just like I have to live with my grandma. The books have happy endings and are really beautiful. The pictures inside them are pretty, too. I can’t wait to read them!

I really love my tutor because she is so nice and thoughtful, and she gives me the best gifts ever. I sure hope I can come back to tutoring next year even if my mom and I move out of grandma’s and into a house of our own. I like learning and now I like reading, but mostly because my tutor made it fun and interesting. Maybe next year I will get a tutor just like her. I hope so!

“I have always imagined paradise as a kind of library.” – Jorge Luis Borges

“Books are the mirrors of the soul.” – Virginia Woolf