A local minister and a parent coordinator at Howard School of Academics and Technology are on a mission — help students succeed in school and life.
“I’m tired of seeing our young guys struggling, not succeeding,” said Antonio McMath, middle school parent coordinator at Howard. “The only way we change it is if is we get involved.”
Mr. McMath teamed up with the Rev. J.W. Cole, pastor of Greater St. Mary Baptist Church, to start a male mentor program for middle school students. They are calling on educators and businessmen to mentor middle school boys and serve as role models for the students.
About 20 mentors, coming from fraternities , businesses and education, met with 30 Howard youths this month to discuss staying in school and preparing for the work force.
“We want the guys to live up to the expectation that God has for them, not the expectations of statistics saying they should be dead or in prison,” Mr. McMath said.
Eleven-year-old aspiring professional football player Brandon Cole said he appreciates seeing mentors purposefully spend time with him and his peers.
“I liked when they talked to us,” he said. “They were helping people.”
The group is scheduled to meet again March 31 with General Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon to learn about the judicial system.
The church is sponsoring a breakfast for teachers and parents of the students at the school on April 14. The group will discuss how to prepare students to do well on upcoming standardized tests.
Mr. McMath, Mr. Cole and other mentors meet with the boys at least monthly. Students and mentors are encouraged to call each other in between meetings.
The group’s immediate goal is to recruit volunteer educators who will teach the boys the skills they need to do well on standardized tests.
Howard has some of the lowest scores in the county, Mr. Cole said.
“That used to be, but today is a new day,” he said. “They want to pass.”
Mr. Cole said he also is talking with business owners about giving the boys part-time jobs in the summer. Finding work for middle school-age students, the age group that often has no structured activities during weekends and school vacations, is challenging.
“The job could be washing somebody’s clothes,” Mr. McMath said. “We’re just trying to get them to learn the discipline of how to keep a job.”
GET INVOLVED
For more information about male mentors for middle school students contact Antonio McMath at 209-5868 ext. 2512 or mcmath_a@hcde.org.
Yolanda Putman has been a reporter at the Times Free Press for 11 years. She covers housing and previously covered education and crime. Yolanda is a Chattanooga native who has a master’s degree in communication from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Alabama State University. She previously worked at the Lima (Ohio) News. She enjoys running, reading and writing and is the mother of one son, Tyreese. She has also ...
