COMMUNITIES
   

Gathering of the X Mentors

Therese Pelias, Grade 5 Guidance Counselor/Grade 7 Mentor

Posted Friday, 08-Sep-2006 1:30 PM

              On my way home yesterday, I met two High One students playing basketball in the High School who simply had to do the ritual thing High School students do to me – ask me what their names were. In the sea of names and faces, I, of course forgot one of them. This is exactly what Fr. Johnny Go, SJ, just discussed with us in his most recent session with us mentors.

              In the light of this year’s thrust of “Nursing the light in every Xaverian,” Xavier has introduced the mentoring program. Simply put, this program enables a teacher to get to know the students much better so that they will not fade in a sea of names and faces. Mentors are teachers and staff who get to be assigned to a specific group of students whom they get to meet on a weekly basis. Mentoring sessions are meant to be sessions where students get to reveal themselves in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Mentors engage them in various activities that range from icebreakers to those that tackle specific life issues. In this manner, students’ needs are better addressed and they do get to go home feeling that Xavier is indeed another home for them. Well, at least, for Grades 4, 7 and High 1 and 4, who are experiencing this program.

              As this mentoring program is just really on its first year of implementation, the school had a need to make a temperature check on how things were being done hence that session with Fr. Go. He stressed the value of getting to know the students and presented the vision of cascading the program to all grade and year levels. He emphasizes its feasibility given a rough ratio of 1 teacher or staff to every 12 students. Taking note of the pace of the mentors for this year, this is a big challenge given all limitations that were presented in the meeting ranging from Grade 4 mentors having 17 mentees at a time to Grade School mentors’ need for a survival kit to everyone’s need for more training. There’s indeed a need to mentor the mentors, something which Fr. Johnny himself is very much open to. Even then, the mentoring program is successful as it is. It is a clear indicator of the school’s desire to reach out to the students more. By the same token, Xavier teachers and staff get to also be more than just a face to the students, they get to be a friendly face they can count on - as Fr. Johnny would put it, the face of Jesus and Mary. 

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