FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Striving Readers Mentoring
Who can be a mentor? Are there any special skills or background needed?
Anyone with a heart for students achieving can be a mentor. Some key traits for mentors are individuals who are compassionate and genuine, encouraging, inquisitive, actively listening to students, approachable, available and willing to learn. With the training provided prior to starting and the ongoing coaching by the onsite program coordinator, most people will be a successful mentor. The activities will be easy to lead students through and do not require any special skill sets. Mentors will be required to pass a background check.
When will the program begin?
This year's mentoring sessions will begin in September.
What schools will be participating?
For the 2023-2024 school year, the Reading+Mentoring 4 Success program will be at Rocky River and Wolf Meadow elementary schools.
What grades/ages will participating students be?
Students in first and second grade will be participating in the program this year. Students will typically range from age 6-8 years old. By targeting these grades, the enhancement students receive will set them up for success as they enter third grade as 3rd grade is an academically challenging and critical year. Our goal is to prevent students from entering third grade behind in this critical foundational skill.
Will I be working with just one student during the program?
Yes, you will work directly with just one student. We want our mentors to build a relationship with your assigned student. Studies have shown a strong relationship between mentor and student to be a key success factor for a successful mentorship program. As such, some of the activities you will be completing work to build this trusting relationship in addition to reading skills.
How often do I need to meet with my mentee?
For the program to be successful, consistency with the mentor is key. We ask all mentors to commit to one or two weekly session(s) when students are in school. Of course, we realize a mentor might need to miss a week here or there, but we ask you to please minimize "breaks" as this time with students is critical to their achievement as well as students look forward to their visit each time.
How long are the sessions and when are they?
Sessions will be 30 minutes. we ask that mentors arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled time to get checked into the school and be at the mentoring location ready to start. Mentors may select the day(s) of the week and any offered timeframes. Timeframes are dependent on school schedules as we don't want to take students away from critical core subject classroom learning time. Both factors will be considered when working to match you with your student.
Will training be provided?
Absolutely, all volunteers will participate in a training prior to beginning the mentorship program. Ongoing training support will be provided by our onsite program coordinators.
Are activities and materials provided?
Yes, the activities and materials will be provided to you each week. Our activities are very structured to help build specific skills needed by your student. Our program coordinator will be working closely with the teacher to select activities. As a part of this critical team, you will be asked to provide feedback to the program coordinator to help in targeting these activities.
Encouraging Pleasure Reading
Why do you focus on pleasure reading?
Reading for pleasure demonstrates a love for reading. Reading for pleasure helps student achieve better reading attainment and writing acumen, increased text comprehension and a broader vocabulary. It also creates positive reading attitudes and greater self-confidence as a reader. And lastly, it creates life-long readers. To summarize, we want students who love to read!!
How are you encouraging Pleasure Reading in Striving Readers?
Students participating in this year's Striving Readers Mentorship will receive a total of 20 books throughout the year as an encouragement to continue their success reading at home. Many of our participating students come from economically disadvantaged homes so helping them have books is even more critical. 20 books in the home can help
Book-a-Paloozas
What is a Book-a-Palooza?
A Book-a-Palooza is our book distribution event where students can exchange their earned "vouchers" for a reading material of their choice. These books and other reading materials become the student's to help build their at-home library so all students can read anytime, anywhere.
When are Book-a-Palooza events?
Each school with the Reading+Mentoring 4 Success program will have at least one Book-a-Palooza event. As additional sponsors step forward, we work with the sponsor and school to schedule distribution events.
HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE REACH OUT TO LORIE LEE, READING+MENTORING 4 SUCCESS PROGRAM MANAGER. CLICK HER NAME TO SEND AN EMAIL.
