| Teach
a Man to Fish Anthony Washington has only been fishing a few times in his life. He can’t tell the difference between a trout and a bass, and he isn’t crazy about worms. Nevertheless, Anthony knows that the man who taught him “how to fish” more than 25 years ago had a major influence on his life.
With Esther working so much, she wanted to keep her children busy so they would stay out of trouble. She enrolled Anthony in several youth programs including the YMCA, Cub Scouts and their neighborhood community center. But she was still worried, because her son had no positive male role models in his life. She wanted Anthony to have a mentor, so she put him on a waiting list for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Three months later, McKinley Glover became Anthony’s Big Brother. Anthony couldn’t have been happier. He and “Mack” hit it off great. They got together at least once a week, going to the movies, the park, events at church, or a family barbecue. Anthony loved being around Mack. “He was somebody I could look up to, someone to lean on. Being with Mack and his family gave me a sense of belonging, like I had an older sibling at last.” There was something else that Mack offered Anthony. While Anthony’s mother talked about the importance of education, she never attended college. Mack was a college graduate. “This was the first person of color I’d ever met that came from a college-educated family. I don’t remember anyone in my neighborhood that went to college. When I met Mack’s wife, his brothers, and his sisters, they’d all been to college, too, and they made me believe it was possible.” Anthony remembers, “They talked about being in a fraternity, meeting new people, the adventures, some of the things they learned and that yes, school really could be fun. I thought ‘my God, this is something I want to do’.” While Anthony knew what he wanted to do, making it happen wasn’t easy. Yes, he was admitted to several schools, but Anthony couldn’t afford to go. He had no idea how to access financial aid and didn’t feel like school counselors provided much guidance. Complicating things even further was the fact that Mack became ill and died. Anthony was confused, but remained determined. He had developed a love for poetry and began to write in his spare time. His love became a passion, but he needed a more dependable way to earn money for school. Anthony took jobs as a dishwasher, a cook and a janitor. He started taking classes at Penn Valley Community College, while continuing to work full-time. Anthony says, “I could only go as fast as my income would allow me to go. I didn’t mind cleaning the toilet or mopping the floors, because I knew it was a stepping stone.” Anthony eventually became an AmeriCorps volunteer, first working as a counselor and tutor with children at Operation Breakthrough. Later designed, planned and conducted a six-month poetry workshop through Youth Friends for students at several Kansas City, Kansas middle schools and high schools. It included teaching kids how to appreciate and write poetry and then publish a book of the poems they wrote. In Anthony’s mind, it was a way to earn money for college, but also a way to give back to underprivileged kids---the way Mack had helped him. Anthony used his AmeriCorps Education Award for tuition at the University of Missouri, where he earned a degree in English with a minor in African American Studies. He wanted a career in nonprofit administration, but found that his credentials and experience were better suited for working directly with kids. Anthony served as a youth counselor at reStart homeless shelter and Ozanam Home for Boys, and as a teacher at DeLaSalle Alternative Education Center and Westport Middle School.
Today, Anthony is pursuing his master’s degree in Nonprofit Public Administration at UMKC. He hopes to someday lead an education-based, nonprofit agency that helps low-income children understand the importance of education and that makes learning fun. Anthony is compelled to give back; the way Mack helped him. He is guided by a simple concept, learned from Mack, which he shares: “Give
a man a fish and he will eat for a day--- |
Anthony
grew up in a single-parent family on Kansas City’s East Side.
His mother was a telephone operator who worked two jobs to support
their family. They lived paycheck-to-paycheck and their gas
and phone service were sometimes cut off but they never applied for
welfare or food stamps. Esther Washington’s family believed
in working and supporting themselves. She was determined to
instill that strong work ethic in her children and to teach them the
importance of getting an education.
While
teaching at DeLaSalle, Anthony and another teacher worked to develop
a bond with the kids by meeting them after school at neighborhood
restaurants. Anthony often bought the food, knowing the
students couldn’t afford to pay. He considered it an
investment in their future. “We didn’t talk about
schoolwork; we talked about whatever was on their minds. Sometimes
you have to go the extra mile to get through to kids, especially in
the alternative school setting.” Anthony’s ability to
listen and relate were skills he learned from Mack. Although
he’s no longer teaching, Anthony still stays in contact with some
of his former students. He’s encouraging them to study and
to go to college someday.