When Love Tate is older, the third-grader would like to be a mentor.
“Because it’s fun,” said Tate. “And it’s important. They help you with school.”
Academics is one area in which mentors may provide support; however, Tate’s mentor Sue Bowser emphasizes it doesn’t mean only former teachers, like herself, should consider the opportunity. Bowser is one of 60 community members who volunteer at Seatack Elementary An Achievable Dream Academy as mentors for third-grade students.
“People might hesitate to mentor if they haven’t taught school, but you don’t have to have been a teacher to mentor. It’s just getting to know kids, sharing ideas and sharing quality time with them,” Bowser said. “You feel like you are making a difference. No experience needed.”
Anne Heyniger’s experience speaking a foreign language has been invaluable to the third-grader with whom she meets weekly. Her mentee Tim moved to the United States from France this school year, speaking only French when he enrolled. Heyniger, who lived overseas for most of her life as a Foreign Service wife and taught English and French to college students, has been able to provide him the comfort of his native language while he learns English at school.
“He’s becoming more bilingual every day,” said Heyniger. She does bring her copy of French Scrabble to play occasionally, but she also practices English with Tim through books, puzzles and conversations while playing games.
“Anne is nice. I like to see her and play games,” said Tim in English. “I beat her every time,” he added with a smile when talking about checkers.
Students are also smiling at Parkway Elementary School while spending time with their mentors – better known as “Panther Pals.” Parkway staff members serve as mentors and build positive connections with students outside the classroom by eating lunch together or checking in with each other throughout the week.
“They really go above and beyond,” said Parkway principal Krista Barton-Arnold of her staff members.
Office associate Sabra Mullis brought her 2-year-old granddaughter to see her fourth-grade Panther Pal in the school’s winter holiday performance, “The Littlest Christmas Tree.” She also visited the student’s class to see her presentation about sea otters. Mullis also made sure her first-grade Panther Pal was able to attend school’s pumpkin carving event by taking him herself.
“I think they feel valued and cared for,” said Mullis of her work as a mentor. “The student has extra encouragement, academic help at times, and it helps the teacher, too, because she has someone to come alongside the student if they are having a rough day.”
Helping students through tough days and talking with them about the value of making good decisions regarding behavior and academics are also noted as important by Panther Pals Michelle Garner and Meghan Mosher.
According to Garner, a Panther Pal to five students in grades two through five, one of her Pals has made a series of poor choices in recent months. “She’s grown into this intelligent, articulate and beautiful young lady, and I don’t want to see her become a statistic,” said Garner, who will follow up with parents and guardians so they can reinforce good decision making at home as well.
Mosher encountered some pushback when first getting to know her Panther Pal. She left an encouraging note in his desk when she was working in the classroom with the teacher and students.“I saw him in the hall and he said, ‘I ripped up your note.’” Mosher chuckles at the memory now and recalls telling her Pal she had plenty more notes where that one came from. Days later, when Mosher was working in the class, she saw the note was still tucked neatly inside in the student’s desk – all in one piece.
“He was testing me,” Mosher acknowledged. “He was really untrusting and wondering, ‘Is this person for real? What are her motives?’”
After a year and a half together, Mosher’s motives are no longer questioned. “He wants to be a coder, so we’ve been working on coding,” she said. “There is a lot that is so positive about him, and I just want him and others to know that.”
Having middle school girls feel positive about themselves is the goal of Plaza Middle School mentor Terry Tignor. Tignor and three other volunteers from Wave City Care facilitate the ShineGIRL personal development program in afterschool sessions at Plaza. Tignor notes that male volunteers from Wave City Care lead ManPOWER sessions for male students.
Tignor explains that the program “is a connection with at-risk girls that puts tools in their hands to help navigate as students and as young women.”
“We discuss how important education is – how important and what power they have in choosing relationships, especially with young men,” said Tignor. “We want them to understand the power they have to intercept bullying in their own lives and in the lives of their friends and acquaintances. We tell them, ‘If you see this situation going on, here’s the power you have to intercept that and to be a rescuer.’ They like that word.”
The ShineGIRL lanyard Tignor wears around her neck reads, “Worth. Strength. Purpose.” She looks forward to beginning a new round of ShineGIRL sessions Feb. 2 with Plaza Middle seventh-grade students, especially because four of the eighth-graders who attended the program in the fall are returning to help Tignor and the other ShineGIRL mentors.
The mentees are already becoming mentors.
“If everybody looks back on their lives, nobody’s teen years were perfect. We can all say that there was somebody who made a difference,” Tignor said.
The desire to make a difference is one reason Tignor continues to volunteer as a mentor in addition to working at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital.
“You never know how deeply you can touch somebody’s life and change it forever. Not just their lives, but the lives of their parents and others around them,” she said.
“If I can help one girl make a decision to not take a step in [a bad] direction and build a good life that is healthy and strong and productive and influential, then it’s worth my time.”
January is National Mentoring Month. If you would like to learn more about becoming a mentor with Virginia Beach City Public Schools, visit the mentors page on vbschools.com.
Anne Heyniger is my son’s Tutor! He loves her, and we do too! We are so glad and happy with Seatack’s Elementary School love and support for our son! He has been improving so much and fast! Thank you! Merci Beaucoup!
Wonderful!