Mentoring: Building Relationships

1. Mentoring: Building Relationships

2. Why is Relationship Building So Important? “Helping young people achieve their full potentials is the best way to prevent them from becoming involved in risky behavior.” (The statement is from a brochure about the National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth.)

3. Getting to Know Each Other First Week Observe and get to know the classroom community Might use Classroom Observation Form (see Volunteer Handbook) Ask the teacher questions Become familiar with the students and let yourself become a familiar face in the classroom 3

4. Getting to Know Each Other ME Bag All About Me Survey (See Volunteer Handbook for other ideas) Reading Interest Inventory ** Tell about your favorite book or author ** Why do you enjoy reading? Learning Style Survey ** Take How Do You Learn Best Questionnaire ** Add up totals on the back ** How might this survey help you work with your student? 4

5. Learning Styles Auditory learners prefer listening to explanations over reading them may like to study by reciting information aloud learn well through songs, chants, rhymes may want to have background music while working may be distracted by noises and need a quiet space to study Kinesthetic learners learn by doing and touching may have trouble sitting still while learning better able to understand information by writing it down or doing hands-on activities Visual learners process new information by reading, looking at graphics, or watching a demonstration grasp information presented in a chart or graph, but may grow impatient listening to an explanation draw pictures for these learners 5

6. Build Trust Open Communication Ask the teacher the first week: 1. How would you like to communicate about students? ***Email works well*** 2. When will you debrief about the tutoring sessions? Use Open Ended questions 1. How was your weekend? 2. How is your day going? 3. Do you have brothers or sisters? ***Individualize your interactions*** Be consistent It’s okay to apologize Give them another chance Listen more than talk (Active Listening) 6

7. Set Clear and Realistic Expectations Mentor/Mentee Agreements * Observe classroom first * Create with the child and each of you sign your agreements – more accountable Save for future reference (revise and revisit) Give clear instructions for behavior or work Example: “You need to write three words that start with B, and then draw a picture for each. Write the words first and then go back and draw the pictures.” Confusion as to what is expected may cause children to misbehave. 7

8. MAGIC Basket Get into groups of 6-8 facing each other in a circle Person with the MAGIC basket will begin Share a specific appreciation for yourself as a volunteer/mentor/human being “I appreciate myself because…” 4. Only the person with the basket speaks – others are listening 5. Give yourself an appreciation “gift” from the basket and pass to the person to your right 8

9. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”Theodore Roosevelt Angie Kite Experience Corps Bay Area akite@aspiranet.org http://experiencecorpsbayarea.wordpress.com/ 415-937-2485 9