As a retired teacher, Glenn Fong can do whatever he likes - so he chooses to spend all day, every day, in a kindergarten class for no pay.
Fong is a fixture in the kindergarten class of Barbara Nickless at Two Rivers Elementary School, where he precuts and organizes materials for daily art projects and does whatever else Nickless needs, ranging from helping individual students to leading small groups.
"My friends ask me, 'Why aren't you playing golf with us?'" Fong said, smiling. The answer is very simple to the former longtime instructor at McClatchy High School. "I like working with the kids."
Fong began by volunteering about two days a week at Two Rivers in 2008, when his grandson attended kindergarten there. The youngster moved on, but Fong stayed, and he began volunteering full-time about three years ago.
"I saw there was a real need on kids' part to have a role model and some adult to talk to," Fong said, adding that it touches his heart when a former student remembers him and greets him warmly at lunch. "I really enjoy that, yeah, it's nice that they remember who I am."
Principal Leslie Sargent said kindergarteners love Fong. "They look up to him and appreciate him," she said. "He's out on the playground with them, he supports them in small groups in their classroom, and he preps fun art projects for them. So, just all around, he's a super wonderful volunteer."
Nickless said that she highly values Fong's dedication, friendship and humor.
"Without Glenn's assistance, my students and others would not be able to have a daily art lesson to enhance their overall growth," she added.
By precutting materials and organizing them into student cups, Fong sets the stage for a daily science or social science art activity. Each lesson exposes the kindergarteners to text, sight words, general knowledge, and to the challenge of illustrating a topic, Nickless said.
Asked to describe himself, Fong said: "I just think I'm a giving type of person, and I want to give back because education was really good to me. The reward is seeing others learn ... It's nice to see them grow."
Kindergarteners are fun to work with because they want to learn, they're eager to learn, Fong said, adding that their energy keeps him young. "It's so nice to see them in the morning," he said. "They want to be here."
Fong said he has been asked why he doesn't apply to join NUSD's workforce as a classroom aide, compensating him for what he does now for free. Thanks for the suggestion, but no. "I don't do it for the money," he said. "I figure aides actually need the money more than I do."
