Learning Leaders Support & Inspire NYC Public School Students
By Liza Young
Learning Leaders, the organization aptly named for its volunteers who lead kids throughout New York City public schools towards optimal learning, recently held a kickoff event for the new school year at the Times Square Marriott, where there was a buzzing crowd of 2,400 of the nearly 15,000 learning leaders. Last year the volunteers helped nearly 239,000 students in 937 schools.
Mayor Bloomberg, in a surprise appearance at the event, personally thanked the volunteers stating, “You are making an enormous difference not just for kids who are in school today but on our society moving forward for decades to come.”
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Schools
Chancellor Joel Klien |
Cyndie Baniak of College Point, Queens, who last year worked daily as a volunteer with eight students from PS 129—ranging from the kindergarten to the sixth grade—related, in an interview before the audience with Dana Tyler of CBS, that she finds being a learning leader an incredibly gratifying experience. She is pleased when she meets students in the hallway who, since they are not allowed to speak there, “always find their little ways of saying ‘hello Ms. Baniak’ through a small wave or smile.” Through her work she has discovered the importance of individually tailoring teaching towards the perspective of each student. She explained how “one student may learn through games, while another may benefit from using examples from real life situations.”
Cyndie has also brought home her experiences as a learning leader, helping her three sons with their education.
Keynote speaker, Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein, highlighted that “learning leaders make the greatest investment, as there is no greater one than working with children.” He warmly stated to the volunteers, “You help kids who come from poor families, who see education as their only hope—kids like Joel Klein for whom education was the key.” He called for each member of the audience to recruit one additional volunteer to add to the base of learning leaders.
Joseph Sanjay, who recently signed on to be a learning leader is enthusiastic to join the team: “As I sit in the crowd among parent volunteers I see that mostly they are older—although some are younger—which shows their longstanding commitment to teaching and dedication to making a difference in kids’ lives.
Learning leaders have in the past braved harsh weather, such as snow storms, in their mission of helping kids succeed, and in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita the organization is making efforts to help kids on a national scale. They are currently raising funds for Park Ridge Elementary School in Louisiana, where evacuee students are being transferred to continue their education.#
