Mentoring-Week One

Two weeks ago, I was assigned my six grade mentee from Hand Middle School. Her name is Aleyah, and she is almost taller than me! Although I suppose that is not very hard. At first I was nervous because when Aleyah came down to fill out her paperwork, she was super quiet, and did not even say anything to me. Thankfully, as soon as we embarked on the perilous journey that was my school tour, Aleyah was chattering away. It was perilous due to the fact that as soon as classes changed, students were running through the hallways and jumping down the stairs, and one of Aleyah’s friends even ran into me. I also got whistled at by a middle schooler, which was of course, a nice touch. But despite all of this, I greatly enjoyed just walking around and talking to Aleyah. As a sixth grader, she’s very smart, and even more importantly, she has the drive to do well. I also learned that we have a lot in common. Aleyah is in orchestra, just as I was in band from fifth to twelfth grade, and although she was disappointed to be missing this period every Tuesday, she enjoys me being there because she said it’s “just like having a friend to hang out with while everyone else is in class.” Aleyah also plays softball, and I played for eleven years. Since Aleyah is a sixth grader, she cannot play softball for Hand, so she plays for her community organization. She also plans to participate in track and field for Hand in the spring. I don’t really feel that there are any additional resources or support that I need to make my mentoring with Aleyah effective. I just need to be myself and be there for her while we conquer our transitions together.