School-based mentor Marie with her Little Sister Joselyn
Marie King loves being a school-based mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters, not only because she’s helping a child but also because it’s a fascinating window into a young person’s world.
One hour a week, she visits her Little Sister, Joselyn, at school to help with schoolwork and to chat. Joselyn, entering Polk County Middle School this fall, has benefited from King’s mentorship and is now a more confident, opinionated girl who is a “voracious” reader, said King, Joselyn’s school-based mentor for several years now,
BBBS of Western North Carolina, affiliated with BBBS of America since 1982, is recruiting school-based mentors throughout the 18 mountain counties it serves. Mentors, fully vetted and supported by BBBSWNC, are carefully matched with a “Little” for one hour of week at the child’s elementary or middle school. They spend half the time on schoolwork and the other half doing something fun.
Being consistent and reliable is about the only requirement for being a “Big.” Patience, open-mindedness and good listening skills enable the volunteer to connect with a young person. The children, who often have behavioral, academic or other social needs, are referred to BBBS by teachers, counselors, social workers and other school personnel. Teachers say the experience improves a student’s academic performance and industriousness and decreases the days they’re absent from school.
When Joselyn was younger, King spent the post-schoolwork part of their time teaching her to jump rope and play hopscotch. Though Joselyn was already a good reader, King also helped her work on comprehending the stories she read.
Now they play word games and talk about books. “She has really bloomed a lot,” King said. “She’s much more in her element.”
The experienced has opened King to what it’s like to be a young person these days, she said. “It gives you a perspective on how their world is different from yours,” she said. “It’s fun.”
School-based mentors give lots of encouragement, respect alternative lifestyles, reinforce their Little’s success and are on time. They don’t preach or criticize, impose values or expect rapid, dramatic change. They respect school rules, sign in at the main office and walk the child back to class.
But most of all, they enjoy what they’re doing, as King does with Joselyn.
“It’s so little that we give to those kids, but it can make a big difference,” King said. “It’s wonderful to see someone growing up like this. I’m lucky to have her.”
