Hooked on Learning : Marina del Rey Tackle Shop Owner Lures Troubled Students to Better Grades With Promise of Thrill, Challenge of Fishing

When 10-year-old Jaime Gonzalez walked into the Marina del Rey tackle shop owned by Mark Aguilera one weekday morning, the owner saw a little of himself.

He saw a young boy planning to fish when he should have been in school, the kind of boy the anglers refer to as “pinheads,” a term used to describe anchovies that hang around bait barges and children who hang around the docks.

Aguilera asked questions. Why wasn’t Jaime in school? Jaime said he stayed home with a stomachache, then felt better and decided to go fishing.

Aguilera asked more questions. He discovered that Jaime wasn’t doing well in school, and that because his mother speaks only Spanish and cannot read and write, he wasn’t receiving any help at home.

That’s when Aguilera, who says he himself “only made it year to year” in school, decided to strike a deal with Jaime:

He would take the boy and his buddies out fishing on his boat if they brought up their grades. And he would help them with their homework if they brought it to the shop.

First “A”

Three months later, Jaime has brought home his first “A” on a report card. And the group of boys has grown to about 15, ranging in age from 9 to 14.

Aguilera still occasionally helps the boys with their homework, but they now have a paid tutor available twice a week, thanks to the Marina del Rey Angler’s Club, which is picking up the tab.

Two weeks ago, the boys went out on their first fishing trip.

“It was great,” Aguilera said. “The boys really enjoyed it. They worked hard and got their reward.”

Jaime grinned and said, “It was fun.”

Joaquin Alvarez, 13, tried to be nonchalant about the whole thing, but his eyes lit up when Aguilera brought out a deep-sea fishing pole for him to try.

“This is great,” Joaquin said.

The boys are now working toward a second fishing trip. Last Tuesday night at the Mar Vista Public Library, some of the boys gathered to study under the supervision of tutor Lori Tooles.

Tooles, a clerk at Santa Monica College, said she got involved after visiting a friend at the Purfield’s Pro Tackle Shop at 4076 Lincoln Blvd. and noticing that Aguilera was trying to tutor the boys while also waiting on customers.

“Mark was jumping up and down trying to help both the boys and customers,” she said. “He asked me if I could help one of the boys with his reading. After that day, I told him that if he ever needed help I’d be willing to help.”

He accepted her offer, but he decided she should be paid.

Carl Lambert, president of the Marina del Rey Angler’s Club, said the club’s board of directors did not hesitate in agreeing to pay $6 an hour for a tutor twice a week.

“Everybody thought it was a great idea,” Lambert said, adding that the club has an annual halibut derby to raise money for the Boy Scouts. “We are always willing to help kids with their schooling and with the sport of fishing.”

Tooles said the first fishing trip has created a new enthusiasm in the boys.

Enthusiastic Faces

“I don’t think some of them were taking it very seriously,” she said. “They needed to see what they could get out of it. They needed to see the benefit first. I can see a lot of enthusiasm in their faces now.”

Some of that enthusiasm is visible to Jaime’s teachers at Short Avenue School in Mar Vista.

Setsuo Inokuchi, who teaches fourth- and fifth-graders, said he has worked with Jaime since late September, about the time fishing club started.

“He hasn’t missed turning in his homework yet,” Inokuchi said.

Inokuchi said Jaime is like many other children whose problems in school are further complicated by poorly educated parents who speak another language.

“Once they get home, it’s all Spanish for them,” he said. “That makes it hard for the kids, yet they are probably at a higher level of education than their parents.”

Tina Kulberg, who runs the school’s resource center for basic reading and language skills, has worked with Jaime for a year. She said motivation can be critical in learning, whether it’s working toward points and stickers, as she awards in her class, or a fishing trip, as in Jaime’s case.

“He does seem to be a little more motivated,” Kulberg said of Jaime. “There’s been some change.”

Jaime’s mother, Guadalupe Gonzalez, sees a change in Jaime, the second of four young children.

“He was getting into trouble at school, but now he’s behaving more,” she said in Spanish. “I can’t speak English, or read or write. I’m happy that someone has taken an interest in helping my son.”

At last week’s study session at the library, some of the other boys expressed gratitude for the help.

“It’s nice for them to help us with our schoolwork and to take us fishing,” said Danny Fitch, 13. “And we don’t even have to pay for anything.”

Ariel Rodriguez, 12, said the tutoring has been helpful. “My teacher said I was improving this quarter.”

Ben Gonzalez, Jaime’s 11-year-old brother, said he was initially hesitant to join the group.

“I thought fishing was going to be boring, but it was fun,” Ben said. “And Lori really helps.”