Q. Why do you think that mentoring is important for elementary school students?
A. They need a personal connection with a positive adult. They need to know someone believes in them, and loves them just for being who they are. When a role model takes the time to come to school every week just to see a student, that sends a powerful message.
Q. What are the biggest challenges to running a mentoring program in a school?
A. Finding mentors. People are really busy these days, and many people are not up for the time commitment. What they don’t realize is that just an hour a week can make a profound difference in someone’s life.
Q. Can you relate a specific example where a student really benefited from his/her relationship with the mentor?
A. There is a third grade boy (I’ll call him Jake) with a mentor right now who obviously benefits tremendously from his relationship with his mentor. Jake is somewhat hungry for attention, and sometimes does whatever it takes to get attention—positive or negative—from his teacher and other adults in the school. He also struggles with low self esteem. But when he is with his mentor, you can see him just come alive. Whatever they do together—read, go online, shoot baskets—Jake is just glowing the whole time. You can tell it means the world to him that someone cares enough to visit him every Friday at lunch. Several people (his teacher, his bus driver, a cafeteria worker) have mentioned to me that they see Jake growing in some really positive ways. There is no doubt in my mind that his mentor has caused much of this growth.
Q. What makes a good mentor?
A. Good mentors are people who care. They don’t have to have fancy credentials, they just have to be willing to demonstrate to a student that they care. Good listening skills are helpful, and a little enthusiasm goes a long way, but the most important thing is just being there and enjoying the time with the student. Actions speak louder than words, and kids can tell if an adult genuinely cares about them.
Q. What is the biggest misconception people tend to have about mentoring programs?
A. Some people seem to think that mentoring is a huge time commitment. It does take some time, but really an hour a week is all we ask for. In just that short time, a lot of good can happen in the student’s life, but also in the mentor’s life. Sometimes I can’t tell who is having a better time—mentors or students!
