‘What I live for’: 76-year-old commemorates nearly 10 years of volunteering at CMS

CHARLOTTE — Ed Arocho, 76, has been helping Charlotte-Mecklenburg students learn math for almost a decade.

He does it all on his own time, after serving in the military and a career as an engineer.

As part of volunteer appreciation month, Channel 9′s Gina Esposito spoke with students who appreciate what he does to help them.

He is a silent hero in a sixth-grade math class. He’s not teaching, but he does know the material. Arocho has been a volunteer at Davidson K-8 school for nearly 10 years, tutoring students of all ages in math.

Students Ella Jahant and Jonah Yerys said Arocho has personally tutored them either in small groups or during a teaching lesson.

“I think if he wasn’t here a lot of people wouldn’t learn as much,” Yerys said.

“He’s just a big help to the class and everything,” Jahant said.

These students didn’t know about Arocho’s background as an Air Force and Navy veteran. He also worked for 25 years as a radar specialist engineer.

“When I was retiring, I was debating what do. I said I want to work with kids. I just enjoy being around kids. That’s why the pandemic was really hard on me, because we had school closed for a long time. The smile and hugs from the kids is what I live for,” Arocho said.

“He brings a different energy because he doesn’t have to be here. He chooses to be here every day,” Assistant Principal Amanda Childress said.

She said Arocho has been offered paid jobs at the school. Instead, he prefers volunteering four days a week. He also helps in the cafeteria and is a Spanish translator for families.

For Arocho, all of this brings joy, especially when he can make a difference in a child’s education.

“I like to teach and I like to see the ‘a-ha’ moment. ‘Oh, I get it! I get it!’ That’s when I really feel rewarded. That’s my reward,” he said.

If you’re interested in becoming a CMS volunteer, you can register on the district’s website to start that process.

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