"REAL MEN READ. THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTORING."
Empowerment Commentary By
Jarrett L. Perdue Sr.
Jarrett L. Perdue Sr.
What does it mean to be a mentor?
Notice that one of the words used to define mentor is "TRUSTED". A mentor advises, guides, instructs, teaches and trains. A mentee or protege is trusting the mentor to give the best instructions for success in any given area of life.
Mentorship is for the personal development of the individual. It is to improve their self-awareness, self-knowledge, talents and potential. Mentoring goes further than instruction and coaching. For example, when you instruct, you disclose knowledge. When you coach, you build skills and proficiency. When you mentor, you work to actualize the character and demeanor of the individual. Mentoring promotes natural and spiritual development.
Mentors make a caring commitment to take the journey with the person that is learning. Mentors also set the example in the learning process. Mentors use different techniques to accomplish the goals set forth. Mentors serve as examples by continuing to demonstrate integrity and character in their own lives. Continue to keep in your thought process that a mentor is a TRUSTED FRIEND.
Anyone that wants to mentor others must remember that mentoring is not about authoritarianism or unlimited rule. It is about wanting the person to have total success for everyday living. It is certainly about the mentor having honesty and integrity. The protege has to be able to have confidence in the mentor. The mentor brings out the talents and abilities the protege has within them.
I had a fulfilling and rewarding experience in 2007 and 2008 to be a part of a volunteer program with the Chicago Board Of Education and Chicago Public Schools called “REAL MEN READ.”
This program was endorsed by the Mayor of Chicago, the President of the Chicago Board Of Education, and CEO of the Chicago Public Schools.
I was happy to be a part of this wonderful program. I chose to go to one of the neighborhood schools in one of the areas I grew up in. For the months I was there, I was really moved by the students and their effort to want to improve their reading and comprehension skills.
After the program was over, we all received a letter from the President of the Chicago Board Of Education. I, as I am sure many other mentors, were moved by the third paragraph of the letter from the President of CBOE.
THIS IS PART OF THE THANK YOU LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHICAGO BOARD OF EDUCATION (3RD PARAGRAPH)
“This year, (2007-2008), the commitment demonstrated by our MENtors allowed us to impact the lives of 16,265 students in 84 schools across the city – more than double the number of schools that we served last year. Together, we distributed 146,000 books to students to expand their reading experiences and foster a love of reading. Most important, you have helped us exemplify those characteristics that we all know to be true: REAL MEN VALUE CHILDREN, REAL MEN VALUE EDUCATION AND REAL MEN READ!”
After the 2007-2008 program was completed, to my surprise, I received an item in the mail from the school. It was REAL MEN READ THANK YOU JOURNAL for my participation.
The THANK YOU JOURNAL contained a thank you card with signatures from all the students I mentored. It also had personal handwritten letters from the students.
I am posting some of the quotes from the handwritten letters from the students.
“Dear Mr. Perdue,"
"I just want to say thank you very much for coming out to our school and reading with us. It was nice to meet you. I hope you can come back next year. It was a great experience for you to come read to and with us. I enjoyed every time you came out.”
“Dear Mr. Perdue,"
"Thank you for showing me all your talent. Thanks for coming in and sharing all those wonderful books.”
“Dear Mr. Perdue,"
"I just have to say thank you for every thing you've done. I thank you for coming to sit down and read the books with us. I really appreciate you coming. You really got me to reading books. I just wanted to thank you so much.”
“Dear Mr. Perdue,"
"Me and my classmates would like to thank you for reading to us as a part of Real Men Read. You came and we gave you our undivided attention when you read. We looked forward to your visit every month. It was an enjoyment. My favorite story was, “THE SKIN I'M IN”. I thank you for getting me more interested in reading.”
“Dear Mr. Perdue,"
"I thank you for coming to our class. We enjoyed listening to you reading to us. We liked your visits every month. We like talking to you. Mr. Perdue, you are a very nice person to be around. We hope you come back.”
“Dear Mr. Perdue,"
"I thank you for coming to our classroom and reading to us. Also we thank you for coming out and putting your time into our education. We had so much fun when you were here. Everyone loved talking and listening to you. I hope you feel the same about us!!! P.S. Come back next year!!”
"Dear Mr. Perdue,
I would like to thank you for coming and reading us these books. You came and helped us learn about the world."
"Dear Mr. Perdue,"
"Thank you for all the times you came out to our school and read to us. We had a lot of good books like "SEED FOLKS", and "BEAT THE STREET". I hope you can come to our school again and read to us again. Thank you Mr. Perdue."
"Dear Mr. Perdue,"
"I want to thank you for being our Real Man reader. We enjoyed you coming here with all those interesting stories that you read. You made reading more fun. "THE SKIN I'M IN" is my favorite because it helps you learn about being yourself and not trying to be someone you're not."
These are just a few of the many letters I received from the students I mentored. We can make a difference in being a mentor to anyone. Think about someone you can mentor. It is positive and rewarding. You will find the STUDENT MENTOR experience will have a great and profound impact on everyone involved.
Jarrett L. Perdue Sr.
