Uplifting Story

I can remember when I was a collegiate coach and it was summertime. Track season was over and recruiting season for unsigned prospects or future prospects was open, however it wasn't mandatory. As I was at my office one day I was talking to my head coach and we were discussing the amount of summer track meets we were going to host this upcoming summer. As we sat in the office and ponder I began to ask him about the tpye of programs that are actually offered for the inner city youth in Arkansas especially those that are into track and field. What made me think of this discussion was because of the research I was doing over the internet about the success level in Jonesboro compared to Little Rock, Arkansas and how involved the parents where in there children success.


Months passed and it took my interpersonal communication skills to be at the upmost high. I began to ask around the community to families I had previous met with children that was into track and field and they range from the ages of 5 to 18. Now I know it was a very wide range to deal with and to inquire about, but I was very amazed of the corporation I received. After to my face to face conversations I began to find an interest in the library and used my perks with being a collegiate coach and made a few visits to the school board. One thing I found out that was in common from all my parents I talked to was that they wanted something positive to involve their children in for the summer to keep them out of trouble and to also allow them to keep their brain working.

By the follwing summer I developed an inner city youth tutorial and track program. Alot of my athletes that stayed at the school for the summer assisted with the tutorial programs as well as with the fundamentals of track and field. I had a 6 week camp and it was free. I got so many great responses from that camp that 25 out of 40 students that attended that camp grades gotten better, they had more positive interaction with their parents, the little babies began to come out of their shell and more sociable and attentive in class and my juniros and seniors graduated and some received athletic scholarships.

I have to say my time in Arkansas wasn't the best, but when I began to work with them kids it was the highlight of my "summer" coaching career.

My personal research

         For my personal research I decided to gather information on poverty( or low-income families) and the cognitive, biosocial, and psychosocial effects it has on early childhood children and their families. The reason I chose this topic is for one I am in the early childhood field now so I am personally experiencing the effects from the children because I am with them all day. I am working with a range of families for high-income to low-income and the odd part is that I have a 3 month cousin at my childcare and her mother is in the percentile of low income so its at great interest how the state assists her with the needs of her and her child. I feel that if it wasn't for the state and their assistance 85% of our students wouldn't be enrolled in the daycare. I never thought about any of this until I actually got in the field and began working one on one. 
          So far I am learning how to gather the information from my research and it seems like I find myself having to find  a stopping point because it is so much information that is presented its hard to decide which to use as well as the information I gather on my own. I know there will always be some grayish areas when it comes to research and I am always opened for suggestions and assistance. So if anyone knows of good site, journals, and etc please feel free to share the wealth.
      Another reason I an interested in poverty is because I have a close friend that is from Africa and it touches me everytime she states how good it is to finally be an american citizen. She believes there are so much more opportunites here for her and her family and if she was still in Africa she wouldn't have dreamed to be doing the things she is doing now because of the poverty and the lack of opportunities.