An After-School Network Expands Learning Time | Edutopia

An After-School Network Expands Learning Time | Edutopia:

VIDEO: Overview: A Citywide After-School Alliance That Works

Running Time: 8 min.

After school, in a Providence, Rhode Island, community recreation center, eighth grader Estefany wraps her hands in gauze, puts on a pair of boxing gloves, and enters the ring while nine other girls wait their turn to throw some punches. Estefany begins sparring one-on-one with her male instructor, while one of her friends is in another corner with the other boxing teacher. Estefany jabs with her left hand, and then delivers two right-hand punches to her teacher's gloves while he barks out commands and nimbly moves around the ring. After several minutes, her teacher commends her and shouts out, "Who's next?" as the next eager middle school student climbs in the ring for her afternoon amateur pugilism education.

"This is the first year I've taken boxing," Estefany says as she unwraps her hands afterward. "I want to build my strength and be more healthy. School stresses me out, so I take out my stress here, practicing my jabs and my one-twos. It takes the anger out. I also don't want to miss school during the day because of what I get to do afterward."