“Having her be happy about learning to spell her name just means everything to me,” says Carol Durrant, a Tooele volunteer who has been serving school children as a Foster Grandparent for nearly four years. Carol makes learning fun and different for the kindergarteners she serves through multisensory strategies like playing math games with playdough, building the alphabet, and learning the days of the week to the tune of the Addams Family. It’s moments like hearing a child squeal, “I did it by myself!” that Carol treasures most.
Carol’s personality naturally draws the children in – like helping a bored student get back on task by having a staring contest. It’s not uncommon for a student to say, “I want to work with you again, you’re fun!” to Grandma Carol.
The “Mamma Mia” moment
Picture a noisy kindergarten classroom as she tries to help two students. Distracted by the noise, Carol started humming the tune “Mamma Mia” without realizing it. Soon, the entire class joined in, humming or quietly singing, “Mamma Mia!” even if they didn’t know the musical. The commotion died down because they all sang in unison. The teacher was astounded, asking “Are you guys singing Mamma Mia!?” After they roared with laughter, all the students worked hard on their assignment, still humming the tune. From then on, that class greeted her with “Mamma Mia! Grandma Carol!” the rest of the school year.
Carol’s skills never cease to come in handy. She knows a little bit of sign language, and used to be fluent in it. Sometimes she signs things like, “Sit down” to the class so that they can follow her instructions without having to say anything out loud. One day a girl who was hearing impaired joined the class. She looked apprehensive and shy, possibly thinking that she was different and would struggle to interact with the teacher and kids the same as everyone else. But Carol got her attention and signed a greeting to her. Carol relates, “She looked at me and started grinning. She ran over, grabbed my hand, pulled me over to sit next to her, and kept smiling so big at me. The teacher handed her the paper to work on, and she kept staring at me, giggling. So I signed, “Write your name on the paper.” She playfully exhaled in frustration and started writing her name on the paper, beginning the assignment. You can often see her smiling at Grandma Carol while she works on assignments, showing that she’s comfortable and happy to be working with her. The other kids have also asked Carol how to sign certain words so they can learn to talk to the girl, so she doesn’t have to feel alone in her classroom.
Turning differences into strengths
Carol relates to the children that struggle with learning disabilities. “Growing up, I had a speech impairment, and I couldn’t pronounce my R’s. In the classroom, I didn’t say much because whenever I would talk, the kids made fun of me. It wasn’t until the third grade that they put me in speech therapy. I also have dyslexia. I know different tricks that I used to succeed in school, and education was important in my family, so I incorporate a lot of that into how I work with the kids.”
“One day I asked the class coordinator, ‘I know I may not see the test results or see how things turn out for the kids, but are we even making a difference?’ And the coordinator said, ‘In actuality, the test scores have gone up significantly on the kids that you have helped.’”
As a Foster Grandparent, Carol’s impact with these children extends beyond tutoring. When assigned to work with a boy who could spell his name but had a hard time writing it, he started sharing about his chaotic home life. Carol recognized that his struggles affected his learning, so she asked the teacher what she could do to help him feel better. The teacher said, “Just listen to him. He really needs someone to listen to him.” Carol asked about his favorite color and took time to get to know him, showing him that somebody cared. Throughout the school year, the little boy became very attentive towards Grandma Carol because she would smile and wave at him. “I think it’s important that kids know that someone wants the best for them. Not all kids get that. That’s what we do. Social interaction is just as essential as learning to read and do math.”
Giving and receiving through service
Volunteering gives just as much to Carol’s life as she gives to her community. It gives her a routine, great friendships, and fulfills her lifelong desire to teach. The school has been wonderful in accommodating Carol’s limited mobility and showing their appreciation for her through a recognition lunch or a tea party with the kids. But for Carol, volunteering isn’t about recognition, it’s about impact.
She says, “I have learned that if a kid is fighting tooth and nail and doesn’t want to learn, it is still possible to help them. Everybody wants to be good at something. So if there’s even a little bit of motivation, and I can find that ‘something,’ then I can help them succeed.”
If you want to change the future of kids in your community by simply showing up, volunteer as a Foster Grandparent! Fill out our interest form at https://bit.ly/AmeriCorpsSeniorsUtah or email [email protected].
