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Gadsden City Schools Mentoring Program Activities:

This activity was initiated at Litchfield Middle School during the After School Program. A student was overheard stating that adults always want children to listen to them, but they never want to listen to the children. With that, the project was launched by the mentoring coordinator. Students are gathered for the express purpose of saying what's on their minds. They are allowed to discuss any topic, personal, academic, social, or other. They are encouraged, however, not to get too personal. The coordinator's role is to listen, and offer feedback when necessary. He then encourages the students to write about the topics they've discussed. The writing part of the program is further encouraged by informing the students of the possibility of having their stories published. Students are also introduced to media: radio, newspaper, etc.,and told about the possibilities of pursuing those outlets for potential careers.
 * What's On Your Mind?**

This activity gives every teacher in the Gadsden City School System an opportunity to mentor a child. It is designed to allow every child in each school to be assigned to a teacher other than the one(s) to whom they are assigned daily for instruction. Depending on the school's population, a teacher could be assigned as many as fifteen students. That sounds like a lot, but not so, considering the role of the teacher/mentor. The only obligation the teacher has is to make contact with his or her students at least once a week if possible. That contact needs only to be a "hello" or other complimentary remark, or an acknowledgment of the child's birthday or other achievement. If the teachers desire to do more, then they may at their own discretion. It is believed that these seemingly random, brief, but effective encounters have the capability of building student trust and self-esteem; which could result in improved social skills and academic achievement.
 * Student/Teacher Advisement and Mentoring Program**

Mentoring Coordinator Tony Reddick gets to the root of where real mentoring begins. A devoted husband and father, he shares his story with //Gadsden Style Magazine//. He believes that the parent is a child's first mentor, and encourages all to seek to fill those gaps where a biological parent might not exist in a child's life.
 * Gadsden City Schools Mentoring Coordinator Featured in local Magazine.**


 * Tony Reddick: Devoted husbands, engaged fathers can make difference for children **

I love being a husband and father, and I enjoy celebrating fatherhood every day. I am compelled, however, to feel some sadness at the idea that fathers in general, or at least some fathers, don't get the recognition they deserve throughout the year. We have all witnessed individuals who, when confronted with a television camera, yell out “Hi Mom!” I think fatherhood deserves a little more attention. I mean true “fatherhood,” the kind that nurtures and teaches and loves unconditionally. Having been raised by a single mother with eight brothers and sisters, I had but a few real images of a father, specifically one who actually lived in the home with his wife and biological children. Although these men had their faults, many would argue that the least of them was having to raise their children in subsidized housing. They were “men” though, responsible, hard working, and they had tremendous love and respect for their wives. I met my own father for the first time that I could remember at the age of 17. I saw him again a year later, but not since. I still acknowledge, however, that he is my “father,” and I do communicate with him. Only one of my four brothers ever married, but all of them produced children. When I got married in 1984, one of them suggested betting that it wouldn't last three years. I remember saying “put a penny on it and let it ride.” If that penny doubled every year, it would be worth $2,684,354.56 on my next wedding anniversary. Being a husband for almost 29 years has been easy to me, and only pales in comparison to being a father for just more than 26. I have not only had the pleasure of raising two wonderful, and now college-educated biological children, but I have served as a father figure to countless youth in and around my community. I think I have made a difference in the lives of a number of those young people. It doesn't take much to emulate this duty. All that is needed is to identify with one who is true to the task of being a good father and husband; one whose foundation is grounded in the admonitions of the greatest father of all, the almighty God. His blueprint is very simple. Love one another; including those whom you may call brother, neighbor or friend. Love with an unconditional, agape love, the kind that allows you to view those whom you love as blessings. Quite simply, being a husband and father carries a lot of responsibility but at the same time it is very rewarding. The great African American novelist James Baldwin once wrote, “For these are our children. We will profit by, or pay for, whatever they become.” So, the responsibility of being a good husband and father lies in knowing that someday our own sons may take on that same role. I am additionally proud that my father-in-law, Edward Bonner, has provided for me a great example of how to take care of my own family. Nationally, about 25 percent of children younger than 18 are raised in a single-parent home, usually by a mother. That figure in Alabama is around 39 percent, maybe even higher for the city of Gadsden. An absentee mother or father could mean a child is rendered void of some of the essentials of life, especially considering the many parents who were raised the same way. In such cases, their children too often fail to adequately accomplish even the most menial expectations, such as completing a formal education or establishing meaningful relationships. I see the father, whose expected role always has been head of the household, as the catalyst for ensuring that such expectations are met. Children face a variety of obstacles every day, and obstacles faced by boys often are compounded by the fact they have no one with whom to identify when it comes to making important decisions. They may try to emulate what they see on television, or what they see or experience in the limited surroundings in which they routinely find themselves, and that sometimes causes them to yield to pressures that mold them into someone else's plan for them. The result can be loss of identity and unfulfilled potential. The presence of a father helps a child focus on that potential, because quite frankly, I think all fathers are guilty of trying to live their own lives vicariously through their sons. We all wish that our sons could become the athletes we couldn't, or follow in our professional footsteps, only become better at it. There are many examples of the latter throughout the city of Gadsden, and for that, our city has reaped many rewards … and all because of the many men who chose to become good husbands and fathers. Tony Reddick is a career educator still pursing his education goals as he nears completion of his Educational Specialist degree. He has taught students from elementary school through college. He is a former French instructor at [|**Gadsden State**] Community College; a former French, Latin, mathematics and art instructor in Gadsden City Schools; a former assistant and head basketball coach; a former assistant principal; and he has served as principal at Litchfield High School and J.K. Weaver Technical Center. He is an administrator for the Gadsden City Schools' Career Tech, Mentoring and English Language Learners programs. A noted local artist, he has performed on stage and is an aspiring author. He is a Sunday school teacher, choir member and chairman of the Deacon Ministry at First Baptist Church in Alabama City. He and his wife Belinda have a daughter, Lindsay, and a son, Evan.