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Frequently Asked Questions

	Answers to Mr. Darren Smith's Questions.
	How were the mentors selected? What specifically qualifies them to mentor other students in English? Will the mentors work one on one with the students/mentees? Do the mentees have to apply voluntarily? Will this program just solely be for weak students? How many times per week are we looking at? What time of day will it run? Is it curriculum based? Are the mentors helping with homework or are they reinforcing skills? Who creates the lessons the mentors will mentor? How were the mentors selected? The English mentors had to fulfill the following requirements: •       Have very good grades (B+ and higher) in ONE or more of the  following skills: Writing, Reading, Literature, Grammar, Oral Presentations,  Research papers, & SAT (verbal). •       Have a GPA higher than 2.0. •       Have most of the following qualities: Be Reliable, Hardworking,  Organized, Caring, Helpful, Patient, Empathetic, and Generous + Have good  communication skills. •       Enjoy working with others, sharing knowledge with them, and  motivating them. In addition, they had to submit the following documents: 1.      A portfolio (binder or booklet) that includes a collection of what  they are good at. 2.      One letter of recommendation from one of their recent English  teachers specifying what they would be good at teaching. 3.      A cover letter expressing their interest in the position and saying  why they would be good candidates. Back to Top What specifically qualifies them to mentor other students in English? The coordinator will give the mentors a workshop on how they might go about  teaching, but one of the requirements is that they coordinate with the  student's English teacher. Back to Top Will the mentors work one on one with the students/mentees? Yes, most of the time. Back to Top Do the mentees have to apply voluntarily? The mentees do have to "volunteer". However, if a student's English teacher  thinks that this student needs help in English and recommends they he/she  get help, then we can talk to the parents/advisor/counselor and have them  convince the student to apply. I prefer to have it this way and hold the student responsible for his/her  own learning. Let's face it, if we oblige students to "be taught", how much  will they benefit and learn? Back to Top Will this program just solely be for weak students? Not necessarily. If some students are reasonably strong in most areas but  are weak in one area, we would work on that weak area. Back to Top How many times per week are we looking at? One or two times a week (depends on mentee's needs). Back to Top What time of day will it run? Mainly after school. Back to Top Is it curriculum based? It depends on English teacher's recommendations. Back to Top Are the mentors helping with homework or are they reinforcing skills? Reinforcing skills is our aim, but they might provide guidelines as to how  to go about doing homework. Back to Top Who creates the lessons the mentors will mentor? The mentors themselves, with the coordinator’s help. There will be forms for  them to fill out:  Needs assessment + What they intend to focus on with the mentees + What they did cover during the lesson, etc... The mentees will also fill out some forms: What they did during the session, How much they benefited, etc... Back to Top