April 2021
Program Update
Change has come once again to the school schedule. Students are now attending school every day for at least a half day. Other students that need support are staying the full day. This is great for the school and the students, but it did cause some scheduling difficulties for the mentoring program. However, everything has been worked out and the meeting times for our mentoring pairs are set through the month of May. We are now in the homestretch of the year and pairs will be wrapping things up before summer.
Stories to Share
Mentoring Continues On
One day I was approached by a mentor and a student and they gave me some shocking news. They told me they were BOTH moving away and would be ending their relationship through BE THE ONE. In this program people move all the time, but this was a unique situation. Instead of ending things all together, I encouraged them to stay in contact with each other. I suggested they exchange contact information and keep in touch. Now they have both moved away, but I got an encouraging message from the former mentor. She told me that she is in contact with her student, and they communicate all the time. Mentoring will continue for the girl in her next phase of life, even though she is not in a program.
Summer Mentoring
A newly matched pair has been connecting well. The two seem to get along great. In fact, on their second meeting together, they were already concerned about not seeing each other in the summer. I mentioned that they would be able to write letters back and forth and this excited them. The student could practice writing English letters and the mentor has committed to taking a Spanish class. Hopefully mentoring can continue in the summer.
A Special Free Write
Students are writing about their mentoring experiences in class. One teacher approached me and informed me about a free write she saw from a student. The student mentioned how much he appreciated talking to his mentor, especially since he did not have a dad at home. This is the only adult male he has been able to connect with and mentoring has become essential in his life. Mentoring is impacting lives of students more than we can imagine.
That’s Exactly Why I am Here!
A student was sharing some difficult things about her life. She mentioned some troubles she was having at school and sometimes at home. As the girl was talking to her mentor, she stopped suddenly and apologized. She felt bad about sharing some “negative” things to her mentor about her life. The mentor, without hesitation, told her, “that’s EXACTLY why I am here!” Mentors are not counselors, but they are good listeners and students are being heard.
Mentoring by the Numbers at LMS:
- 26 active matches at the middle school
- 1 pair ended. Both the mentor and student moved to another state.
- 1 new match made this month
- 9 Potential students for the program next year (we are not making any more matches this year)
- 330 hours of mentoring this school year