Stories of Bridgeway House: Mini Kathuria

Presenter: We’re listening to stories of Bridgeway House, a school serving 90 families from 17 school districts at two sites. It all grew from a mutual aid group that started meeting in a living room. Here’s one of the moms of Bridgeway House, Mini Kathuria:

Mini Kathuria: Bridgeway has been in Eugene from 2002, and we’ve got two locations: One’s on the 15th Street downtown, and there’s one on Upper Camp Creek. And we have about 90 children that the school serves, 90 families. And there are a lot of kids on the wait list that are wanting to get in.

We’re just trying to raise some funds and awareness in the community. We don’t want the school to shut down.

[00:00:38] Presenter: She shared her family’s story. Before starting at the school, her son attended the after-school social groups. Mini Kathuria:

[00:00:45] Mini Kathuria: Before Abir got into Bridgeway School, he actually started with their social groups, which was like an after-school thing that they did. And he was part of this social group where the kids would come down and have story time and like, do like a little bit of maybe a board game or get to do some activity with their peers.

[00:01:06] And that was done by Teacher Sherri. And she was just awesome with the kids. She has the most animated voice when she reads out a storybook. The kids love her.

[00:01:16] I remember this one incident and my son was very little. I think he was around seven or eight and anything new for him was difficult to get used to. So I remember actually being inside the classroom in the social group with him sitting on my lap and going through the whole session. And eventually he started doing it all by himself.

[00:01:37] I remember this one time that we were having a bad day at school and things were not working. And Teacher Sherri just asked me like a regular, you know, like a, ‘Hello, how are you doing?’ And I just started bawling out and crying.

[00:01:50] And she just took me out of the classroom and sat down and we had a good chat and she made me feel so relaxed and you know, like somebody who understands what you’re going through. And I think that probably sent out a message that, ‘Oh, the family really needs to get into the school,’ and next fall we were in Bridgeway School, it was just miraculous.

[00:02:11] So yeah, that was my experience with Teacher Sherri and I still meet her and I give her the tightest hug because I just feel that connection with her and I feel like she was my doorway into Bridgeway.

[00:02:22] So I’m always thankful to Teacher Sherri. She’s an awesome science teacher. She comes up with all these wonderful experiments and hands-on things that the kids can do. And we totally, totally love her.

[00:02:34] So she was our first. Yeah, she was our first in Bridgeway and then Abir went into, I think it was the kindergarten, or it was the, yeah, the class for the little kids with Teacher Gina. And Teacher Gina is awesome.

[00:02:47] I mean, we just had three months with her and then the pandemic hit, but those three months were the most relaxing time that I’ve had as a parent, because I remember going to other schools and getting a phone call every five to ten minutes.

[00:03:03] And I was, like, always ready with my shoes on, because I know I have to rush to school to pick my son up: Something’s gone wrong.

[00:03:10] And the first week in Bridgeway was, I had my phone right next to me at all times and I wouldn’t get a single call and that would paranoid me, that, you know: ‘What’s going on that they’re not calling me?’

[00:03:22] And I remember a call coming from school and I’m like, ‘Okay, and I have to go pick him up,’ but no. It was a call about a teacher calling me from the office, letting me know he’s doing great and there’s nothing to worry. They’d send you pictures while this child is in school doing something fun, they’ll send you a text message with a beautiful picture of your child and a little message to say that ‘He’s doing sensory play’ or ‘He did this today’ and, you know, just those happy pictures through the day which makes you feel, if you’re at work or at home, that okay, my kid’s taken care of.

[00:03:54] So that was Teacher Gina’s classroom, very positive. You always felt like you can completely trust them. There’s no pressure, great on communication, they always told you what your kid is doing, what are the struggles, how can we help? So that was the great part. And the first start we had with Teacher Gina.

[00:04:14] Unfortunately, the pandemic hit and then we had to be home for some time. But I remember she came to my house with a bunch of, it had some math, it had some language, and she had printed out a whole packet for us to, you know, keep the kids busy. She, I mean, she’s wearing her mask and she’s dropping it at my front door. And she’s saying, ‘This is for Abir, and you know, you can keep him busy.’ So that’s the kind of support Bridgeway gives you, you know.

[00:04:43] And then when he came back after the pandemic, the kids had kind of regressed a little with not having school. It was tough and a lot of kids were not ready for a full-day school routine back. But yeah, gradually and slowly they got into it. That’s when they thought they got to move him to a different classroom. And that’s when Teacher Nathelle came into the picture.

[00:05:05] Oh my gosh, I cannot—she’s like my most favorite person in the whole staff and she’s going to hate me for saying all that, because she doesn’t like to be in the front of, you know, any social media. Or she hates being like, ‘Oh, don’t talk about me.’ She’ll just keep praising your child. And if you praise her, she’s not happy about it. But I have to say this:

[00:05:27] So she’s an ABA (Applied Behavior Analyst). She’s done her BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst). She’s highly qualified and she’s like this perfect mix of being stern enough that she can discipline your child, but yet very, very gentle and affectionate. And all of that put in together is Nathelle, you know.

[00:05:45] So I remember my son going into her classroom with these big behaviors. He would like push stuff and, you know, he would not want to do things and be like… And then by the end of that year, he’s like completely tamed down—if I could say that about my son. He’s my son, so. He’s completely in routine and he knows what he has to do because he got so much structure in her room and that’s what he needed.

[00:06:11] And she’s really good with enforcing things like, ‘Okay, you’ve got to do this first and then this comes in and then you get a reward.’ And ‘Okay, if we’ve not done this, we’re not going to do that.’

So, it’s very, very structured and that’s what my son needed.

[00:06:24] And so she did that and she was a teacher then, and then she’s now the principal on the Upper Camp Creek location, and I don’t think anybody is better suited for that job than her.

[00:06:35] So in the middle of the school year, I think she was moved on to become the principal. And then the main other lead was Teacher Nick, Nicholas Brown, who was always working with Nathelle, and then he came into the forefront and he’s a darling in himself too. I mean, the kids love him, the boys, girls, they just love him.

I remember last day of school, I think it was just before summer break. They had like a little water play in the backyard and my son hit him with a balloon and had a smirk: ‘Okay, you know, I got you for the whole year.’ Yeah, but he’s the sweetest. I mean, he always has good things to tell you about your kid.

[00:07:11] I mean, that’s the beauty of Bridgeway staff. I think they’re always going to focus on what your child can do. And they’re not going to be focusing on things that he doesn’t want to do or he can’t do. But it’s: ‘Oh, he can do this so well, and how about we just focus on that and make that better for him.’

[00:07:29] So we all do that. So that’s one common thing that runs through the entire staff.

[00:07:35] So, yeah, these are a few of my teachers who are favorites. And currently Abir is in the 15th Street location and he’s been with teacher Mo and she’s our current favorite. I mean he loves her. Teacher Mo and Teacher Bailey, I would say. In fact, Bailey, I think he kind of has a little crush on her. He’s 15 and he really likes her and he sends her these heart shapes during the classroom because she’s really pretty and she’s also very nice with the kids. So yeah, Teacher Mo and Teacher Bailey currently working with my son, and they’re amazing.

[00:08:07] They introduce them to different concepts, like they did the Chinese New Year, and they’re doing a lot of things in science, and they start taking the kids out in the community, going into convenience stores or, you know, going to the grocery store, getting some ingredients, then going back into the kitchen in the classrooms, cooking something, you know, introducing them to like, okay, let’s make toast, and let’s spread some peanut butter and, you know, like giving them the basic life skills.

[00:08:34] So yeah, that’s where he’s at right now with teacher Mo and I get almost two or three pictures in a week saying what he’s doing and he’s having fun.

And the last time I met her was at the Parent Night. And if the teacher who you’re talking to tears up when she’s talking about your child, that says so much about what kind of work they do.

[00:08:55] So she kind of like teared up and she was, like, she remembers Abir being little in kindergarten with Teacher Gina, and she was a assistant at that time and now she’s a lead teacher, so she’s seen his growth over the period of time.

And she just started tearing up and I had to like, you know, ‘Don’t do this, you’re going to make me cry too.’

[00:09:13] And she, she teared up and she’s, she just had all good things to say. And she calls him a ‘dude.’ She says he’s the most best-dressed boy in the school. So, I mean, we’re just grateful. The staff is—grateful is the only word I can think of. Because I know they’re doing a job, they get paid for it, but they’re doing much more than that.

[00:09:34] It’s the fact that you can completely trust them with your child. They’ll give you great advice. They look out for you and they just are some positive human beings. I’d say ‘heroes.’ That’s the word for them.

[00:09:48] Presenter: You can learn more about these community heroes and donate at their website, BridgewayHouse.org, or call  (541) 345-0805. That’s  (541) 345-0805. You’re listening to the Bridgeway House radiothon on KEPW 97.3, Eugene’s PeaceWorks Infinity Rainbow Radio.

During summer break, calls to Bridgeway House will be automatically transferred to school admin team cell phones. For faster service, call the cell phones directly: (541) 743-5159 and (505) 930-6910.