Tanya's Magical Dream Bus
Tanya Walters is a bus driver for the Los Angeles Public Schools. Eight years ago she was driving a route that went through one of the toughest areas of LA.
Tanya had no trouble with the kids on her bus. She smiled at them every day and said hello. She asked about how they were doing and gave them a hug when they seemed to need one.
So, when she found out that most of her students were failing school, she knew she had to do something about it. She started a study program for her 54 students where she tutored them in reading, writing and math.
As a reward for their hard work, she took them on a marine biology cruise. It was that cruise that changed their life and hers. The students explained that they had never been out of their neighborhood where all they saw every day was crime and violence.
Tanya’s field trip had given them a glimpse of another world. She had given them a reason to dream about getting out of the life they were locked into. And, the field trip gave Tanya a purpose in life.
Tanya maxed out her credit card and bought a bus. She started driving her students all over the area, showing them places they had only dreamed about.
Two years ago, Tanya talked some other bus drivers and some volunteers into forming the Godparents Youth Organization, a group that offered “classrooms on wheels” to inner city children.
Tanya’s organization has grown. She has taken children on tours in 26 states making stops at museums, civil rights landmarks and even some college stops along the route.
Tanya’s program has also produced results. Seven of the students who were on her bus in 2002 have gone on to college.
Source: CBS, Channel One News
BLOG QUESTION
Why is Tanya’s program so successful?
Tanya had no trouble with the kids on her bus. She smiled at them every day and said hello. She asked about how they were doing and gave them a hug when they seemed to need one.
So, when she found out that most of her students were failing school, she knew she had to do something about it. She started a study program for her 54 students where she tutored them in reading, writing and math.
As a reward for their hard work, she took them on a marine biology cruise. It was that cruise that changed their life and hers. The students explained that they had never been out of their neighborhood where all they saw every day was crime and violence.
Tanya’s field trip had given them a glimpse of another world. She had given them a reason to dream about getting out of the life they were locked into. And, the field trip gave Tanya a purpose in life.
Tanya maxed out her credit card and bought a bus. She started driving her students all over the area, showing them places they had only dreamed about.
Two years ago, Tanya talked some other bus drivers and some volunteers into forming the Godparents Youth Organization, a group that offered “classrooms on wheels” to inner city children.
Tanya’s organization has grown. She has taken children on tours in 26 states making stops at museums, civil rights landmarks and even some college stops along the route.
Tanya’s program has also produced results. Seven of the students who were on her bus in 2002 have gone on to college.
Source: CBS, Channel One News
BLOG QUESTION
Why is Tanya’s program so successful?
4 Comments:
Tanya's program is so successful because it gives poor children the chance to learn about things outside of their neighborhood. She tutored them also. Her work gave these kids a chance to think about a better life.
i think tanya's program is a successful idea.
I think it is succesful because it shows new places and meanings to young children who see violence and crime every day. It could change their perspective on things from being a theif to a lawyer.
Tanya's program works because it shows kids that have never been out of their neighborhood that there is more in life than the violence and crime that they are used to. She also creates a place were they can learn and be inspired to do something important with their lives.
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