Ring, Ring! A Promise Fellow’s Morning Ritual

By: Lara Griffin, AmeriCorps Promise Fellow serving at South High School with Minneapolis Check & Connect

My work day starts long before I get into my office each day. It starts with a phone reminder to call a student. This first reminder is followed by two more 15 minutes later and everyday as I finishing up eating breakfast I call or text these students asking if they are out of bed and hoping for a response. Sometimes I even get one, usually only when they are doing what they are supposed to do. I have wondered on more than one occasion whether these calls help anybody—if they text me back it means they were already out of bed in the first place and it will take more than a buzzing phone to wake kids in time for school when nothing else has worked. After a few weeks of these calls and texts, I asked my students—is this even helpful? The overwhelming response was yes. They told me, even if it doesn’t get them to school that day, they know that someone notices what they are doing and that feeling of accountability to somebody pushes them to do what they are supposed to do.