Cathleen & Camila, Hennigan Elementary School
January was National Mentoring Month and celebrating was a blast! We shared many different perspectives about mentoring and even more were shared with us. Between our blog, Facebook, and Twitter we heard from volunteers, teachers, parents, and students about what mentoring means and why it is so important. We wanted to share some of what we heard this month with you!
A few of our Power Lunch students and volunteers drew what mentoring meant to them for Youth Mentoring Day on January 19. Mass Mentoring Partnership created a scrapbook, “Mentoring Makes Me Feel…” with submissions from mentee/mentor matches from across the state.
We asked a few questions of our Twitter followers this month and we received some great responses:
@BostonPartners wants to know why do you mentor?
I mentor for moments like this morning when my mentee of 3 years looked up at me & said, “You’re my best friend.”
I mentor to share my love of reading and learning.
I mentor because it’s energizing! The potential I see is amazing.
Students inspire me & I hope I inspire them!
I mentor because the best learning is through teaching. And I love to learn.
I mentor because it gives me the opportunity to introduce a child into a world they’ve never seen before!
We just HAVE to know! What’s the funniest thing your mentee has ever said?
You know everything about Pokemon.
I bet you make, like, $1,000 a year.In playing 20 questions, I had to guess “an old man with a big beard” – the answer: God.
Top might be the answer to what dolphin blood tastes like: Blueberries
How old are you? Sorry for asking. 25? Wow, that’s old.
The first ever “I Am A Mentor Social Media Day” on January 11 was a huge succe
ss! Mentors from all across the country changed their Facebook profile photo to the Mentor badge and shared with the world why they spend time mentoring youth.
Rich Greif from Mass Mentoring Partnership shared his experience volunteering with us:
Did you also know I was a mentor for 4 years through Boston Partners in Education and my mentee Jamal J. is now a sophomore at UNH? Being a mentor has made me a better parent and advocate for education. You can make a difference in as little as an hour a week.
Lastly, we had a number of wonderful blog contributions this month.
Tuesday – the best day of the Week
This is a guest post written by School Volunteer Program volunteer, Kellyanne Dignan. She discusses why mentoring makes Tuesday her favorite day of the week.
A Call for Bilingual Volunteers
One of our staff members, Carolina Davila wants to know, “How you are helping our future leaders?”
Carolina’s student was so excited about this post she shared it with her teacher, classmates, and parents. All of the students in her class want an academic mentor now!
Spotlight On: Gardner Pilot AcademyThe Gardner Pilot Academy has partnered with us for 13 years. In this post we hear from the school and from a parent about why they love Power Lunch!
Even though National Mentoring Month has come to an end, we’re still thinking about mentoring every day. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us last month and please continue to tell us about your experiences with Boston Partners in Education and the Boston Public Schools. We love to hear from you!