Rich, Full Years
I began my Columbine mentoring years when I met a shy little 3rd grade boy named Anthony. We worked diligently that first year and he made good progress. He was energetic and highly competitive. He loved soccer and social studies, but his real passion was geography. By 5th grade he could locate any country, city, or ocean on the globe within five seconds. In a discussion about school activities at the beginning of 4th grade, I asked him what he liked most about school. His answer, "Recess" A normal kid's response, right? I also happened to ask, "Are there any school bullies?" With bowed head, he quietly and truthfully replied, "Yes, I'm a bully". I nearly fell off my chair! We spent the rest of the hour discussing the cons of being a bully. I became aware that school personnel were already working to correct this problem. By the end of the school year he was truly a changed boy demonstrating good leadership skills. Anthony became an outstanding student. He was voted the most improved and respected student in his 5th grade class. He improved incredibly in reading and enjoyed reading aloud to me. What a joy that was! Those were full rich years. I hope I made a difference in his life...he certainly made one in mine.
Remarkable Growth
I have been working with Jacqueline for 3 years. We meet during the school day. I try to enter the room quietly, but the whole class gets excited and other students start nudging her when they see me at the door. It seems to be an honor to have your own personal mentor. Three weeks after I started meeting with Jacqueline in 1st grade, her teacher told me she had noticed a difference - she was sitting up and paying attention. In 2nd grade, I introduced her to jump rope. It was great to see how fired up she got with this simple activity. This year has been especially fun as Jacqueline's English has improved and we know each other a lot better. The biggest difference I have seen is her level of confidence. Instead of always saying, "No, I can't", she tells me not to help her. She made great progress in both reading and math this year. I look forward to our next two school years together.
Channeling the Love of Christ
My new friend was recommended for Kids Hope because he lacked self esteem and had missed quite a bit of school in 1st grade due to illness. He didn’t want to learn English and was not inclined to participate in classroom activities. Looking back over the 8-9 months we've spent together, this scenario is hard to believe. By May, I saw a little boy who laughs readily and often and enjoys being read to. He loves to play catch and kick the soccer ball around. He has proudly shown me his classroom and how he can play chess on the computer. He’s trying hard to improve his English. He announced one spring day as we went out to the courtyard, "Today is a beautiful day, you know?" It really was! I'm looking forward to being a small part of his continued growth, channeling the love of Christ, and encouraging my little buddy along the way.
Building Patterns of Confidence
"Woo Hoo! science." exclaimed Tavian on our last session of this school year. It was music to my ears. With enthusiasm he read the instructions, a small accomplishment, but far from where we started three years ago. When we first met he was a nervous, eager to please 1st grader. I have seen him mature, grow academically, and develop quite a personality. Our three years together have given him a sense of stability. At the beginning of this year he set goals for himself, which I'm happy to say, he met. I also set more difficult to achieve goals, such as becoming a functional reader. He is well on his way! Several times this year he asked if I will really be with him through 5th grade. He seems really proud to have his very own mentor. Being a Kid's Hope Mentor is a highlight of my service at First Pres. I know the program is for the kids, but I think the mentors are blessed as much or even more.
Seeing God Work Through the Ordinary
On a recent morning, I headed off to Columbine Elementary for the annual Columbine Mile Marathon. My fellow Kid’s Hope mentor and buddy, Amy Tumpes, had persuaded me to accompany her as a volunteer race official and unofficial cheerleader. I decided to go to cheer on Emily, my current Kid’s Hope mentee.
As I pulled up to an on-street parking space, I glanced at the woman getting out of the SUV in front of me. She looked familiar, as did the three kids piling out. The youngest looked straight at me as I turned off my car. Imagine my surprise as I realized those eyes staring at me belonged to my first Kid’s Hope mentee from three years earlier. As I got out, I smiled and spoke, and Alicia immediately said shyly, “Hi, Lisa.” I was surprised that she remembered my name. We chatted for a couple of minutes, and then went our separate ways for the race.
Alicia and her family moved to Frederick after our one-year mentoring association, and I never expected to see her again. In many ways it had been a difficult relationship… as an unruly six-year-old, she rebelled at home and at school, and she refused to cut me any slack. I tried all year to crack her tough outer shell, and when the year ended, I couldn’t tell if I had made any difference. Now a graduated fourth grader, she has grown and matured into a lovely young lady.
After the race, we met up again for more conversation, pictures and hugs. During our chat, Alicia asked me why we used to meet, and if we met for full days or for little bits of time everyday. I reminded her that we were matched up through the Kid’s Hope program.
Then she asked, “Remember that book you gave me? I found it the other day, and thought about you. It has your phone number in it and you said I could call you sometime!” She smiled broadly as it seemed like the memories of our times together were rushing back to her. Maybe God had cracked that hardened shell after all. I assured her that my phone number was the same and encouraged her to call me any time. It was very sweet to see and spend time with Alicia and her family once more. I pray that she will find that book again and give me a call.
I Believe in You
I first met Emily at the beginning of second grade. At our first meeting Emily said she couldn’t read. She had a strong accent. Her English vocabulary was limited as her family spoke only Spanish at home. We played games. She tried to let me win. I read to her. She talked freely to me, we wrote down what she told me, and she could, of course, read it back to me with a little help. We tried reading simple books, a few minutes at a time. Though she had some success, she didn’t believe in herself.
I looked forward to Tuesdays. There was Emily with her ready smile and an hour that we could spend together. At Christmas time I met Emily’s mother. She came to the Kids Hope party at church. She had little English and I had no Spanish but we smiled and enjoyed each other. I learned Emily was teaching her mother English.
Do not be deceived. Kids Hope is not primarily about academic progress. It’s about making a child feel loved and wanted and valuable. It’s about helping a child see and develop her strong points. Emily has many: she is organized and careful, she sees immediately when someone needs help and gives it, and she is a great encourager.
Emily and I have now finished our second year together. She is becoming a good reader. She’s started to think about her future, she “might like to be a doctor”. Confident of herself, she has begun to show me how bright she is.
I am grateful to have the chance to be with Emily every week. She's enlarged my world. I'm fascinated with the kids who are multi-lingual, who function in spite of hard family situations, and who go about life with zest. Mentoring has expanded my heart.
In a Little Boy's Eyes
John was a first grader when we met three years ago in KidsHope. He was a shy little boy with an engaging smile. That first year we got to know each other through designing and constructing a popsicle stick house. We learned how to use a hot glue gun and how to design furniture with sculpty clay. A pet snake in the house and pictures of sports figures on the walls provided John’s personal touch. When I heard his teacher describe him as ‘an angry bee’ in a meeting I was shocked; I had never seen that side of him.
His second grade year we studied animals. It was fun to compare John’s weight and measurements with those of the animals we examined. Tigers and reptiles (his favorites) dominated our investigations. He also loved studying the globe and telling me what he’d learned about other countries in school. If I had to be away, when I came back he could show me on a map where I’d been and remembered what I’d been doing. His memory and curiosity were amazing.
Last summer was very difficult for John and his family. The family structure changed and his self esteem was severely damaged such that at the beginning of school he wouldn’t come out from under his desk and wouldn’t participate with his class. It was a huge setback. My heart ached for this precious boy. He had a wonderful teacher who pushed district rules to get help for him and created ‘coffee breaks’ so he could cope better. I was asked to come for lunch with him once a week before Kids Hope began last fall. The shift in his family foundation and the fact that he was making a transition from ‘little boy’ to ‘boy’ resulted in a very challenging year. I found comfort in prayer before each session. I felt nudged to be patient, accept each day as it was, and try different ways to engage him One simple goal each week was to make John laugh and smile.
We enjoy our time together. I’ve played more games of ‘Chutes and Ladders’ than I care to count, and he usually wins. Still, for me a favorite part of each session is seeing him run to the classroom door before the school bell rings just to see if I’m really going to be there again. He doesn’t say it in words, but his eyes share the relief and security our hour brings. This year I believe prayer has surrounded us with support, encouragement and love – it’s clear in a little boy’s eyes.
"I Love You"
Amy and I spend a quiet hour together. Sometimes we play on the playground or blow bubbles outside. We read lots of books. Some of our best times are when Amy is painting, playing with clay, or coloring because then we just talk. She tells me things she’d like to do and places she’d like to see. She tells me things that happened in school or things that are funny. Sometimes she gets very serious and tells me about a big problem she has. Recently she told me the most wonderful thing: that she loves me. And, oh, how I love her and our time together.
Progress Seen by a Columbine Teacher
I am incredibly excited about the progress the Kids Hope students in my class have made. For the first time they think of themselves as readers! Joe has made two years growth in reading. A lot of the credit goes to Jan's work with him. Crystal also has made large reading gains, but the biggest change for her is how she interacts with others. Dee has had a tremendous influence on Crystal 's respect for herself and others.
One Hour Does Make a Difference
I am fortunate to have spent two rewarding years as a mentor with Kids Hope USA. The opportunity to work with a child in my own neighborhood seemed the perfect way for me to make a difference. I was fortunate that my employer, Cisco systems, was very supportive of giving back to the community and would allow me the flexibility to meet my student one day a week at the end of the school day.
I approached my first day as a mentor with some trepidation. How would I structure my time with Luis? Where would we start? What help can I provide? Fortunately over time we established a very positive rapport. I started each session with, "Luis, what should we do today?" Sometimes we played a game or did homework, but most often he wanted to play sports. He loves basketball and soccer and I taught him to play tennis.
After two years of working with Luis, I feel that I was able to make a difference in his life. He is much more confident and willing to express himself. His teacher feels his bond with an older adult has been a great benefit to him. He is better able to relate to others and has a more positive attitude towards school.
The culmination of my two years working with Luis couldn’t have been better. One day at the end of 5th grade I mentioned the Bolder Boulder race to him and his eyes just lit up. Luis was so enthusiastic about running the race, I decided to sponsor him. Since I’m not a runner another mentor enthusiastically agreed to run with him.
Luis came in first in the school-wide race called the ‘Mile Marathon’ which is held at Columbine the Friday before Memorial Day. The following Monday I dropped him off at the start of the Bolder Boulder. He was so excited! Luis ran the entire 10K and spent the morning in Folsom Field enjoying all of the festivities. What a great finish to a wonderful experience!
