Stories to Share
Students Struggling
During this current school year, I have been surprised how many students are struggling and seeking help. Students are walking into my office or seeking me out to be matched with a mentor. More parents are seeking help for their students and more staff members are referring kids. Also, when I am meeting with students, they seem to be sharing more struggles then ever before. It shows me how important and essential the mentoring program is. Students need an outlet to share their frustrations and worries. They need that mentoring “friend” who will give them undivided attention.
Seeking a Fresh Start
A mentor in our program unfortunately had to leave the mentoring program for some personal reasons. His student wanted to stay in the program and sought a new mentor. After a few weeks of searching, I was able to connect the student with a new mentor. What made this match unique was the history between the two. They had met previously at a regional church event, and they were both thrilled to be matched up together. I think it’s going to be a good match.
The Joy of a Mentoring Relationship
Our program has made four new matches this month in the mentoring program. One thing I have noticed is how grateful students are to get matched for the first time. Most of them feel joyful knowing they have a person willing to listen to them. Listening is a concept we have lost over the last few years and students need to be heard.
Mentoring by the Numbers at LMS
- 13 active matches at the middle school
- 1 pair ended this month.
- 4 new matches were made in the month of October
- 9 Students on our wait list, waiting for a mentor
- 18 Potential students for the program this year.
- 60 hours of mentoring this school year
Program Update
- Mentoring pairs are meeting regularly and new matches are being made weekly.
- We had our first mentor training on October 28th and it seemed very successful. We addressed the topic of teens and social media and had a guest speaker to share her expertise. We had about 20 mentors in attendance. I would say it was successful.
- We have enough 6th graders to possibly start our 6th grade mentoring groups. This is an alternative for some students who are not quite ready for the mentoring program.
- Lisa and I are continuing to work on the BTO policy and procedure manual when we can.