When people ask what I do for work, and I tell them I am an after-school teacher for a program called CASE, I receive one of two responses back. One response is a disinterested head nod. The other is a follow-up question: “So, what do you want to do after that?” I smile kindly at both responses. Heck, I might have responded the same way!
I understand that they cannot see what I see when I talk about our afterschool program. I see the twenty-five beautiful middle-school faces I serve every day. I am humbled by the weight of the responsibility in serving these Metro Nashville students. Every day I walk into the classroom with the anticipation that today our staff’s actions could change their lives.
Including the school I work in, our CASE the program consists of 100 students. I am not immune to the occasional doubt. “Oh, CASE serves only 100 students? No way there is any real impact.” I ignore this voice because I know it’s not true. From my firsthand experience of being involved in CASE at Donelson Middle School over the last three years, I’ve seen students' lives transformed.
First, I’ve seen how we’ve offered support to multiple families. For example, there are now several eighth graders who entered the program as sixth graders that now have younger siblings in the program. These older siblings went from flailing their bodies on the ground and yelling at everyone to becoming some of the most respectful and caring students towards younger CASE students, particularly towards their younger siblings.
Second, I’ve seen students transformed from being mute their first year to being the most talkative in their third years. I’ve even seen the most shy students develop an inner confidence and no longer be afraid to try new things, such as trying out for the school play! Third, students start in the program with the inability to control their emotions, bursting out at every little conflict. Now they have developed self-awareness, and they can use their words to communicate their feelings. Most of all, I’ve seen students grow in their confidence to be themselves, to not be afraid to speak their thoughts, and to use their words with kindness.
So, what caused a change in these students? I’d say it was faithfulness. What I mean is these students do not have to doubt that our staff will show up every day. We’ll be there. Our consistent presence in their lives has made us worthy of their trust, so they listen to us. They listen as we encourage them every single day, telling them that we believe in them and want to hear about their lives. As we continue being faithful, I believe that these students will change more and more, becoming more free to be themselves. So when people look disinterested or wonder aloud when I'll be moving on, I'm not bothered. I see what they can't: Through faithful service we change lives.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. -Galatians 6:9
C.A.S.E. is a program of the Nashville After Zone Alliance. The Nashville After Zone Alliance is a network of coordinated after school programming for Metro’s middle-school students. NAZA is a partnership among the Nashville Public Library, MNPS, and other existing youth-serving groups. It is modeled on successful efforts in other cities and is organized around geographically-defined zones.
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