RSVP Super Volunteer ALFRED BERNSTEIN Text by Pete Porter, Main Photo by Margaret Porter Additional Photos supplied by Alfred Bernstein.

It certainly is no exaggeration to call Alfred Bernstein an RSVP "Super" Volunteer, as he currently spends more than eighty hours every month volunteering at three local elementary schools and enriching the lives of their students with a varied range of interesting topics. He is particularly adept in using his many talents and wide experience in bringing these subjects alive for those children who are fortunate to attend the schools where he volunteers.

I initially interviewed Alfred in 2005 as part of our volunteer profile series, but I was now able to catch him "on site" as it were.

Alfred told me that he has been volunteering as a teacher's aide for the past ten years now. He attends one of three local schools every day, helping out the teachers and providing many additional activities for the involvement of their students. The three schools that he visits are John Adams and Walteria Elementary in the Torrance School District and Eshelman Elementary in the Los Angeles Unified School District. He originally started with the "America Reads" program, but this rapidly morphed into the many activities that he provides once the teachers realized the variety of his talents. He gives each teacher a list of suggestions that include subjects that range from Rocks; Crystals; Fossils; Flight; Haiku; Map Reading and Compass work. He is well versed in talks on George Washington, Ben Franklin, Jefferson and Lincoln, as well as the history of the American Flag. Other subjects of his wide repetoire include Plants (he is an avid gardener), Sea Shells and Puppetry. He does whatever each teacher wants but also does special presentations on America's historical icons where he may appear on campus in the actual persona of the character he will be talking about.

For example, he did a second grade presentation on Benjamin Franklin where he gave each child a Ben Franklin half dollar and then gave them the choice of keeping it or trading it in for three brand new dollar bills. It was interesting to see how difficult it was for them to make this decision, although he said that there was definitely a lesson for them to be learned from their choice. Another of the classes he works with is one called "Reading Buddies", where he sits with some of the older kids as they help those of kindergarten age learn to read. He said that the older kids really like to help the younger children learn to start reading.

Alfred does an item for first graders called "Sock Monkey" where he gives them each a sock puppet to keep and then uses his own sock puppet to tell them a story.
As Lincoln's Day approaches, students will sometimes actually see him standing in the playground dressed as the man himself - as if he had just appeared from a time machine. He will then gather in a classroom to tell them about the man. Each child will also be given an uncirculated Lincoln Penny (sometimes even one of the rare steel kind) to take home with them.
	At other times, George Washington will appear on campus and, particularly as July the 4th approaches, Alfred will dress up as Uncle Sam to give out Stars and Stripes for the children to take home.

One of his 2nd grade activities involves a treasure hunt, where he teaches the rudiments of map reading and gives each student a small compass to take home. However, at the end of the treasure hunt some of the children ask "where is the treasure"? Alfred then has to tell them that the compass was the treasure all along.

After reading this piece you should have no difficulty realizing why I have designated Alfred a "Super" volunteer! He told me that he really enjoys what he is doing and that was truly evident during our talk.