We recently connected with Aaron Boudreaux and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Aaron thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
After college I had a decision to make concerning work. I spent 4 years at University of Louisiana at Lafayette not only studying, but developing into a community focused professional. My familial ties to Louisiana were too strong. I did not want to leave. I planned to substitute teach while working night shifts at a local grocery store. In the beginning of my time as a substitute, I would be assigned to a different school every day. However, around October, I noticed the jobs kept coming, and more importantly, I began to return to the same schools. Teachers started calling to check my availability before they requested their time off just to ensure I was their replacement. Clearly, God put me in a position to show my potential in the classroom working with students. As much as I wanted to stay in Louisiana, God had different plans, and at the end of the school year, I moved back home and took a position as an Apollo Fellow, with Houston ISD.
Though I was not yet certified, I began teaching math to students who had struggled with poor test results from the year prior. Working with these students was especially eye opening for me. I knew early on, “I am here to do a job, and no little kid is going to get an attitude and keep me from doing my job.” The struggle with performance, skills, and unfortunately, behavior constantly derailed the entire class period. I was growing frustrated with the system of accountability, or lack thereof, for these struggling students. Something had to be done! I began to change my approach. Instead of getting right to work on the lesson, I introduced myself in a way that was inviting and made connections. I could see better attitudes and began to build relationships with these young students. New teachers are taught all about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. I paid little attention to this, thinking it was irrelevant to learning. I thought how does what this child is going through at home affect their performance in the classroom? I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG!! I realized that no child is going to want to learn about this lesson when they did not eat last night or this morning. Some students hadn’t seen their parent(s) because they worked double shifts. It was a very unfortunate reality that I had to face. But I was committed to them. Once I started making the connections, the students would try harder because they did not want to disappoint me. We built a relationship based on trust. I wouldn’t ask from you if I was unwilling to give the same. Parents started reaching out to me to thank me for the changes they saw around the house, especially better attitudes. Some would call just to say, “thank you, you are all little John
talks about!” or “oh, you are my child’s favorite teacher.” That feeling of appreciation was overwhelming. So one night, while playing cards and telling stories with the guys, the topic of the troubled youth we worked with came up; especially young African-American males. The discipline issues we saw and the poor reading and math scores almost went hand in hand. We agreed something had to be done. It was not enough to talk about changing something, we actually decided right then to create this non-profit for the community we served. Since its inception, Mentoring Mighty Minds has offered math tutorial services for all grades, organized and participated in several food and clothing drives, and continues to offer community service hours towards graduation. All actions and activities have been geared toward building healthy relationships between young men and successful business and community leaders. Most importantly, we make a connection with a student who may have never known this positive influence was available and created especially for me!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Purpose: The purpose of Mentoring Mighty Minds is to establish grounds of guidance and support around young African-American males in the greater Houston metropolitan area.
Goal: The goal of Mentoring Mighty Minds is to raise awareness of self; spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, within young men ranging from grades 6 to 12.
Vision: The vision of Mentoring Mighty Minds is to “Bring out the Brilliance” of every young person involved, with the steady and confident mindset that their current situation is not the totality of their existence. We strive to create a strong culture within this generation: In order to do better, we must first begin to expect better.
Plan: Mentoring Mighty Minds partners with school districts and other organizations in Houston to reach a population that is in need of positive influence. We emphasize the importance of excelling in school as well as improving the social skills necessary to maintain a productive and healthy lifestyle. We focus on those struggling academically and not adapting socially; specifically African-American male youth. We believe the bond created through trust is meant specifically to bring awareness to a new level of excellence, as well as a social level of adaptability that will allow all to flourish in any setting, no matter their surroundings.
The Work: With over 10 years of experience in education, we have remained true to our vision of building up a new generation of young men who will lead their communities to
new heights. We partner with those who share the same focus towards giving the young men of Mentoring Mighty Minds a hedge of support around them in school and in the community where success is surely attainable. After reviewing our implementation plan and talking with us in depth, we hope to identify synergies between your organization’s work and Mentoring Mighty Minds. Together, we will bring the young generation to a new level.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
My new clients come from the community and schools in which I work. As I pour myself into the work, I build relationships. Some are past or current students. I find it most rewarding when students who are not in my class express their wish to be in my class when they get to the 8th grade. When families allow me to be involved and want their child to experience having a mentor, that feeling lasts for a lifetime. The relationship was initiated and continues to grow as long as the door is open. As they grow, and move on to other schools, the effort intensifies in order to not lose what we started.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
One of my favorite stories to tell is from the beginning of my career in education, when I was a substitute in Louisiana. The year was 2010. A recent college graduate, I was told that I could no longer work on campus because, technically, I was not a student. I had rent and a car note to pay, and no more refund checks were coming. I started substitute teaching, but it was not consistent. I had to find something to do on days when I did not get a role with a school. I began bagging groceries and stocking the shelves at a local grocery store. The problem was the truck deliveries came in at night, so if I had a call for a sub position, I had to be up and at work by 7 or 8 in the morning. School dismissed at 3, so I would make it home by 3:30 or 4 in the afternoon. Just enough time to eat and handle personal business and be at the grocery store by 8 until about 4 the next morning; to do it all again. Sometimes I would get calls on my way home from the store. I thought I could eat, shower, and take a nap before I made it to the school. In Lafayette, there was only one district and it spanned multiple cities. Some teaching assignments were literally out of town. If I had a longer commute that meant less nap time. Overall, it was a great experience, and it taught me time management. I was blessed to be able to get an introduction to what has become my profession; my calling. Every day I get to do what I love and that is not an overstatement. No day feels like a workday when these kids are involved.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mentoringmightyminds.org
- Instagram: @mentoringmightyminds
- Facebook: @mentoringmightyminds
- Linkedin: Aaron J. Boudreaux