Leading and Cheering Students on to Success
By Jose Garza
Mariana Mata has seen the self-doubt rise in some of her students in the Leaven Kids program when they don’t perform well.
“I don’t feel smart. I feel dumb,” she remembers one student saying about themselves after being unable to solve a math problem, walking out of the classroom in frustration and slamming the door in the process.
After the student returned to the classroom, Mata held their hand and reminded them they were capable of solving the problem. To boost their confidence, she gave her a 5×2 multiplication problem to solve.
“‘Are you sure that is the right answer,’” Mata asked the student. “‘Yes, that is the right answer,’” the student replied.
With Mata leading the way as program manager, she’s been helping young students who reside at Opportunity Home’s Riverside Apartments improve academically since the program launched its first San Antonio learning center at the property in May 2023. Leaven Kids, a California-based non-profit organization, provides educational resources at more than 20 learning centers based in at-risk neighborhoods in California and Texas, including Riverside Apartments. The Riverside location is the only Texas-based location currently.
Some students in Mata’s class have made terrific strides improving academically in the program’s first year at Riverside.
A third grade student started off the 2023 – 24 school year testing at a 1.9 grade math grade level and ended the year at a 4.1 math grade level. A first grader started the year at a 1.1 math grade level and closed the year at a 2.6 grade level, ready to enter second grade this upcoming school year at a near third-grade level.
To set students up for success, Mata conducts fun and engaging Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) activities that test her students’ creativity and imagination. Some activities involve students constructing cars with Legos and trees and flowers out of Brain Flakes® pieces, which help to improve coordination and dexterity in young children. They are also learning to grow their own vegetables and fruits from an illuminated hydroponic garden.
When her students progress, Mata acts as a cheerleader rather than a teacher, understanding the work they have put in to improve academically.
“I am so proud of the work I get to do with them, I love celebrating them because I know the work they’ve put in to go from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I did it.’”
On the path to success, some students have not only faced challenges inside the classroom but outside of it as well.
Mata recalls one student breaking down crying after they did not eat lunch during the day.
Mata provided them a snack and the student was better able to concentrate on learning activities.
The Leaven Kids program manager also remembers another student not knowing what family dinner time was as such a gathering was not commonplace in her home. To introduce the student to the custom, Mata arranged her own version of Family Dinner Time as a safe space where students can enjoy conversations about their lives over a shared meal.
“It’s really powerful to meet a basic need of theirs,” Mata said. “Our students want someone who cares and they tell mom or grandma (what happened) and their issues go away.”
Understanding that there are young students at other Opportunity Home communities facing the same academic and personal struggles as those at Riverside, Leaven Kids’ goal is to strengthen its partnership with the housing organization and base its program at additional properties.
Leaven Kids is slated to open its second San Antonio location at Westway Apartments in Fall 2024.
“We want to grow and impact the lives of children,” Mata said. “I want more students graduating high school. Without education, your opportunities are limited. I want our students to understand that they can change their future and further their education.”