AG students benefit with mentoring program
Each Tuesday around 3:30 to 3:45 p.m., an announcement goes out to the student body of Smithfield Elementary School that it is time for the mentored students to meet in the cafeteria. Candice Jordon, head teacher-/acting principal, gets no objections from the youngsters, even though they already have put in a full schedule of classes.
“They sit down and get out their books. If they have no homework, we give them flashcards or something else to use,” Jordon said.
Under Jordon’s watchful eye, about 30 students from second through fifth grades meet up with their ninth- through 12th-grade mentors for an hour of one-to-one help. They get a snack halfway through the session, which is voluntary on the part of the elementary and high school students.
“I like it because I like learning,” fourth-grader Casey Riedmann said.
Casey and a few students like his fourth-grade classmate Samantha Arrington are learning Spanish from their mentors, while others like third-grader Lacie Lowery are getting general homework help.
“We’re learning Spanish, and I think it’s a good learning experience that could help us later in life,” Casey said.
Samantha said she simply misses karate class that day but agreed with Casey that the extra time in school is worthwhile.
“I just want to learn a different language so when somebody is talking Spanish I would know it,” Samantha said.
Lacie said sometimes it’s hard to stay after school and she may forget about the weekly session, but she’s glad for the time with a mentor, especially when she has a lot to do. Besides, Lacie said, it’s fun.
“Sometimes we have a lot of homework. If we don’t have it for a long time, we get a lot. When we have lots of homework, I usually finish it all with my mentor,” Lacie said.
The first after-school mentoring session was held Dec. 10 at the Smithfield school, and they have continued unabated with steady participation, except for during the holiday vacation.
Jordon said the program was offered to parents as an opportunity for the students to get extra help with their studies. She said she also hopes to boost students’ self-confidence and their ability to take responsibility for homework. The ultimate goal, she added, is to improve overall student achievement and raise the scores on the annual Pennsylvania System of School Achievement (PSSA) standardized tests.
The school district has an after-school tutoring program in place in all the schools that gives students extra time with teachers two days a week and is focused on improving the PSSA performance. The test is given each spring in math and reading to students in fifth, eighth and 11th grades. Sixth, ninth and 11th grades also take a writing test. For the first time this year, third grade is added to the list for math and reading.
Jordon said all schools are challenged to improve student achievement and do well on these tests.
“I just thought I needed to do something more,” she said. “You have to try to do what you can. You look at where you are and where you want to be and try to get together a plan of action. If it doesn’t work, you re-evaluate it.”
A few teachers at the high school spread the word to their students that the opportunity was available to become a mentor to the Smithfield students. Cindy Kopas extended the invitation to 10th- through 12th-graders in the National Honor Society, which she sponsors. Kopas noted a number of band students have become active in the mentoring.
She said this is a chance for the teen-agers to volunteer their services. She has heard positive comments about the program, although several of her ninth-grade students said they did not realize how much effort it would be to help a younger student one on one.
“I’m so proud of their commitment,” Jordon said of the high school mentors.
Jordon said she sees obvious benefits in individual attention for a struggling student as well as the student who wants to learn something more. But, she also hopes there is mutual benefit for the teen-age mentors, who get no formal academic credit for their participation.
Jordon said the mentoring program will continue through the end of this school year, and then school officials will review the results to decide if it will be repeated next year.