Mentors are great because…
1. They give voice to the voiceless children.
2. They give kids hope by making kids feel they matter to someone.
3. They always show up, meaning they stop whatever they’re doing to go meet their students, every week.
4. They make children feel special. Some children do not have a chance to “show off” to their peers but when their mentor comes they get that chance to show off for a caring adult who wants to spend time with just them.
5. They provide an opportunity for a child to say whatever they want and/or need to.
6. They make kids laugh who often don’t have much to laugh about.
8. They give one-on-one attention in a positive way to the kids who are crying out for it or who have gone quiet.
9. They give kids a reason to be extra excited to go to school!
10. They listen to their students; many of whom are too often told to be quiet all the time.
11. They make a child who may have trouble fitting in with his or her peers feel like the most important kid in the world.
12. They are TRUE friends – like the secret handshake, I’ll share my last Skittle with you kind of friends.
13. They can take a bad situation like, “falling on the ice on my way to school,” and turn it into something worth sharing, “now you have a really nice battle scar.”
14. They teach kids how to shake hands, smile at someone, and to someday be President. Okay, maybe not president, but you never know what a child can achieve when someone believes in him/her.
15. They help students reach their full potential when everyone around them is saying they will fail because they know that “I believe in you” helps a student try one more time.
16. They help their students move on to the next grade level when their student has already failed second grade, twice.
17. They understand, and when they can’t they’re still there waiting to give advice, a listening ear or whatever it is that will make their student’s life better.
18. They encourage students to do their best even when they don’t feel like it.
19. They speak affirming words to students that build their self esteem rather than words students normally hear that tear them down.
20. They help a student grow to be a person that gives back to society and desires to mentor their own student someday. Mentors are great because they create a legacy of mentoring that comes full circle and makes our world better for everyone.
