The day was almost over and I told my students their mentors or buddies were coming to work with them. They were so excited. The fifth graders came in with clipboards, ready to meet their little friends and get down to business. They were just as excited! I asked them if they knew what a mentor was and laid some ground rules.I told them I was counting on them to help make our young friends scholars but I needed their help to do this.I modeled the activity I wanted them to do and provided a questionnaire so they could get to know the child they would be working with. I also provided an assessment so they could see what their skills were like. No one prepared me for how touching this would be. They took their job seriously and worked hard. I was close to tears just watching them imitate their own teacher or just go into "teacher mode." Many of them were past students of mine and to watch them in this role was really special for me. Wow, what an amazing experience for all of us. At the end I asked the 5th graders what they had really liked about this experience and they answered me with such honestly and passion. I asked them what else they would like to do with their buddies in the future and they suggested playing games and doing art projects with them. I am filled with hope that we will all get so much from this and I cannot wait to get started on this journey.
My hubby spent all night cutting out flash cards to build their "buddy learning bags." I made upper and lowercase letters on pumpkins and now I need numbers, sound cards, etc. Lots of work but well worth the effort.
