REFLECTIONS

Conversations during Mentoring
Ms. Barbara Magallona, HS English Teaher and H4B Mentor

Posted Friday, 13-Oct-2006 4:11 PM

      Games, conversations, laughter, food, sport, music – these capture the rhythm of Saturday afternoons with friends and Sunday gatherings with family. How can one ever associate these with the school structure and its lesson plans, class calendars, exam schedules, and project deadlines? Such a structure silences people to do as they are told, no if’s or but’s.

      Well, when the idea of mentoring transformed into an actual weekly activity, Tuesday mornings caught up with the weekend rhythm.

      Suddenly, teachers were trooping to various areas of the high school with roughly a dozen freshmen or senior students in tow. Sometimes, spirited activities merged with lighthearted chats; other times, a hearty snack topped a recollection-worthy conversation. Regardless of the arrangement, they all aimed to get to know the students better; if they forged close bonds within the group, so much the better.

      I had the chance to troop to various high school venues, with a band of senior students, chanting their mantra of, “Food! Food!” or its variation of,    “Caf ! Caf !” Caught up in “What to do? What to do?” I planned for games and I found myself waging a battle with the Chinese textbooks that seem to complement my mentees. Finally, I brought them to the chapel and began the session with the question, “What stresses you out?”

      Inevitably, their concern regarding the requirements for the next subject – Chinese, incidentally – cropped up, along with college entrance exams (understandable), English grades (sigh) and the like. In another occasion, we trekked over to the cafeteria for breakfast and I listened to them talk about (not necessarily in this order) one-act plays, Season of Rocks, ex-girlfriends, and U.S. colleges and universities. Occasionally, I’d make a comment or ask a question and they’d perk up somewhat with something like, “Ah, ‘cher coz…” and the conversation would continue. In three months, we’ve talked about “brushes” with the law and “projected” disastrous quarterly exam results.

      During these sessions, I got a better glimpse of the students – what makes them talk and clam up and what interests them. It fascinates one to listen and converse with them because they are not lost in a sea of students, begging for deadline extensions and asking for proper formats (again). After all, when grades have been submitted and “school’s out,” one would remember these snatched moments of banter and laughter.

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