"I am thankful to have taken part in an opportunity to assist two children do better in Math.  When I was growing up, I performed badly in math (very bad to the point of thinking I was allergic to math) until high school.  I was going to school in Botswana, Africa at the time and a volunteer teacher took the time to teach me math.  I never forgot that teacher ... I worked with two young boys at Barbour and enjoyed the learning and giving process and thank MCPS for presenting that opportunity to me."  Jabulani Ncube, Help Desk Supervisor

"It was one of the most satisfying experiences I have had in a long time.  Every Tuesday I looked forward to it so much.  It gave me hope that these nice young children whose parents cared enough to get them in the program will someday conquer great heights!"  Marjory Basile, Principal

"The students’ positive energy and willingness to learn prompted me to volunteer in other areas with Metro Detroit youth." Rosemarie Wilson, Administrative Assistant

"It was especially rewarding, not only to tutor the students and improve their mathematical skills, but also to mentor the students, expose them to the legal profession and to help build their confidence that they too could earn college degrees and achieve professional careers." Harold Bulger, Principal

"Students would start by saying they were "not good at math" but as we went through the problems they could do them -  with help, at first, but then on their own.   Then when they were asked questions like,  "Who told you you were not good at math?"  or  "Why do you think that, when you've just shown me you can do this?" you could see them rethinking and discarding the historical negative self-assessment." Kathy Neher, Paralegal

"Tutoring at Barbour Middle School was an extremely rewarding and awesome experience.  We looked forward to seeing our student each week and getting to know them.  As we tutored them and watched their progress, we found out that we were receiving more than we were giving by learning many valuable life lessons from them."  Virginia Herrick, Seminar and Events Coordinator

"One on one tutoring of Barbour Middle School students proved to be a rewarding experience for me and the students as well.  Tutoring and mentoring pre-teens from single parent families increased my understanding of the trials and tribulations inner city youth face.  According to Barbour School Administration, every student we tutored improved at least one grade level."  Jerome Watson, Principal   

"I believe I benefited more from the tutoring program than the child I tutored did!  The child I tutored for 2 years was a joy to work with, as he was becoming increasingly motivated to reach his personal goal of being a homebuilder.  By helping him see the connection between reading well and the step-by-step process to reach his dream, his reading skills and self-confidence grew by leaps and bounds.  I felt honored and humbled to be a part of that process."  Naasira Zaid, Administrative Assistant