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Field Experience Rationale/Setting

men·tor   (mntôr, -tr)
A wise and trusted counselor or teacher.

      I am very familiar with the word “mentor.” It was a word I used at a public gathering many years ago, a word I put on a bronze plaque I gave to a man who helped me begin my career in the automobile business. He was an older man, with years of experience with General Motors—a man who had my best interests at heart and wanted to see me succeed. Of course, I had no idea that my life would take me in an entirely different direction. But, now, in reflecting back, I realize that mentoring was a very important part of my growing up, of believing in myself, an essential part of who I am today.
      I think this is why it was easy and natural to be committed to this relationship with Ricardo (pseudonym), the at-risk student I’ve been working with this semester. Even though research on mentoring is still mixed (Keating, Tomishima, Foster, & Alessandri, 2002)I have found that being a mentor to a struggling student can offer much, to both of us.

One reason I chose to work with this child was because of my interests in literacy and students who are reluctant readers. Research has told us that reading below grade level is one of the most significant indicators whether or not a child will graduate (Barr & Parrett, 2001). And paradoxically, in middle and high schools, just when a focus on reading is needed the most, it usually gets the least attention. Yet we know that effective reading skills are critical in order to handle content reading demands in the upper grades (From SSR to reading stars: Exemplary reading programs motivate students in middle school and beyond, 2001). Students who are below grade level at reading, who are what is labeled “reluctant readers,” are “at risk” in many ways. As Barr and Parrett write:

The problem is not simply that some students are doing poorly in school. The problems relate to all youth who are in danger of not just failing and dropping out of school, but of entering adulthood illiterate . . .” (2001, p. 3}

      Therefore, my student, Ricardo (pseudonym), was chosen because he was reading below grade level and also failing most of his classes. He was described as being “unfocused” by many of the teachers and was sometimes disruptive in class, a student who possessed characteristics of a student at-risk. Perhaps the best explanations of at-risk youth can be found in Hope Fulfilled for At-Risk and Violent Youth: K-12 Programs That Work (Barr & Parrett, 2001). The authors elaborate on who the at-risk youth are, but also tell us the problems of risk do not lay entirely within the individual and/or family. They tell us that factors that place youth at risk can be divided into two areas: (1) the individual, family, and community, and (2) the school. This second category is important, because it forms the underlying assumption for the rationale of this field study: By mentoring a student at-risk, I can effectively help him understand himself and grow. In fact, I view the bold type on our course syllabus as the guiding purpose: “Each field experience should positively contribute to an individual student’s life . . .” (Parrett, 2004). By being a mentor I could make a difference, I could try to help a student achieve academic and personal goals through modeling appropriate behavior and thoughtful, respectful conversations. “One of the greatest challenges in working with at-risk . . . youth is the fact that their lives are often built on a wide variety of nonproductive and disrespectful behaviors” (Barr & Parrett, 2001, p. 89). But what does “at-risk” mean?
      The label “at risk” has become a more widely used term in recent literature, with a precise definition remaining variable and elusive. One definition of being “at risk” might include coming from single-parent homes, showing signs of emotional or behavioral problems, and failing at school (Keating et al., 2002). Accordingly, the U.S. Bureau of the Census says there are six risk factors associated with youth at risk: poverty, welfare dependence, both parents absent, one-parent families, unwed mothers, and a parent who has not graduated from high school (Census brief: America's children at risk, 1997). This report also states that half of 16- and 17-year old children are at risk when considering these factors. Barr and Parrett (2001, p. 14) write about the future of these youth with alarming prophecy:

There exists an expanding underclass of youth who will live their lives in the United States and never work. Many of them will fill our prisons, others will demand growing health, welfare, and social services. We will support them and their children in a widening generational cycle of despair.

      The at risk term has been applied to children and youth experiencing a wide range of difficulties, such as exposure to poverty, abuse, death of a parent, school failure, teenage pregnancy, and juvenile delinquency (Schonert-Reichl, 2000). In fact, the concept of defining a youth “at risk” might be considered “risky business,” involving the labeling of students “not for what they have done, but for what they might do” (Kohl, 1994, p. 152). In other words, simply tacking on a label “at risk” to a student because he or she embodies one or more of a list of factors could be problematic and inalterably damaging. Understanding these underlying discrepancies and complexities is critical, since they illuminate the concept that defining at risk youth can be extremely contextual:

The ‘at risk’ label is relative and not absolute, it is the result of environmental as well as individual factors, it is not a fixed quantity, and it is dependent on context. Moreover, risk is not a monolithic construct, that, once achieved, will always be present. (Schonert-Reichl, 2000)

Therefore, instead of narrowing the focus to individual factors which might narrow the definitions of my student at-risk, I wanted to expand my understandings and examine how school affects and shapes his experiences. After all, we can more easily change what is happening in the school than we can in the family or society (Barr & Parrett, 2001). Thus, by being a student’s mentor, I could actively and effectively address problems interrelated with the school, as well as become a friend and advocate. The strength of the mentoring experience became apparent to me as I worked with Ricardo. It also became apparent that his lack of reading skills was just one problem in an interrelated set of circumstances that affects many adolescent boys entering junior high school. Through addressing problems related to the school, mentoring became a powerful force. I would find out that mentoring was much more than just teaching—it was about responsibility, caring, compassion, patience, and most importantly, listening. Therefore, the rationale of providing mentoring to help a student at-risk would prove to be a good one. 

      For the past 14 weeks, I have been interacting with Ricardo, a 13 year old boy in the 7^th grade at a large metropolitan junior high school. Suburban Junior High (pseudonym) has 970 students and 100 teachers. The school feels large and crowded, especially when you’re in the hallway when the bell rings. Average class size is 24, but I’ve walked past classrooms that are much larger than that. The school has not been identified for improvement as mandated by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act. Ricardo is part Hispanic and has low reading scores, which qualifies him for accommodation taking the Idaho State Achievement Test (ISAT) as well enrollment in an English Language Learners (ELL) course. The school report card for 2002-3, as required by NCLB, indicates that 4.4% of the students are ELL, 33.2% qualify for free or reduced lunch, 8.9% are Special Education participants, with a 95.4% average daily attendance.
      Ricardo is an only child and loves animals, especially dogs. He also likes to ride his BMX bike and play outside. I would describe Ricardo as a healthy adolescent, full of energy and humor and very respectful of adults. He speaks with a slight lisp, which doesn’t seem to bother him. Ricardo’s parents are separated and getting divorced. His father is a butcher and his mother recently went back to work as a nurse. Her hours vary and involve working sometimes at night. Ricardo is often unsupervised when he gets home from school.
      A reading teacher at the school chose Ricardo for me, since he was reading below grade level and doing poorly in school. At the beginning of our time together, he told me he didn’t like to read—in fact he couldn’t even remember that last book he had read. He didn’t like school much and was failing almost all of his classes.

      I had easy and enthusiastic interaction with all of the teachers and counselors. Ricardo’s teachers were open and extremely helpful to me, communicating with me on a regular basis on his progress. Ricardo’s reading teacher was especially excited about the new computer-aided reading program, Read Naturally, which the school had just instituted. She felt that the students enjoyed this process and that it could more efficiently bring them up to normal reading levels. I was given complete freedom in how I dealt with Ricardo, which gave me a lot of flexibility. The time allotted to me during two school days was ample for me to work with Ricardo while also not detracting too much from his school experience.
      I structured my relationship with Ricardo to involve spending quality time together, providing needed support, modeling, and guidance. Our work focuses just as much on Ricardo’s social aspects of development as it does on his scholastic. I believe that working with Ricardo has increased my communication skills, with an emphasis on being a good listener. I reconnect with Ricardo with a friendly, upbeat hello, a smile, and a question about how his day has been going, what he did last weekend, or any other topic that would focus on him. After we get to the library, our typical meeting place, I spend some time just socializing, listening closely to anything going on in his life. I try to tune in to Ricardo, to inquire about topics that are of interest to him, and to convey a message of caring. I found that if I followed this type of format, that getting him to “learn” was much easier to do later on. For instance, a typical conversation would proceed as follows:

Barbara:    Hi Ricardo, how’s your day going?

Ricardo:      Oh, not bad . . .

Barbara:    What did you do this weekend? Did you go to Marsing?

Ricardo:      Yeah, I went again with my dad and uncle. I have some more pictures to show you!

Barbara:    That’s great . . . after we look at them let’s get back to work on your poetry anthology.

      Ricardo works with me two days a week for two hours a day, during his ELL and English classes. I have been able to negotiate with the teachers to help him get his assignments done while also spending time with him just socializing. I have found that this interpersonal communication is instrumental to developing a relationship with him and eliciting his trust. As he told me in an interview at the end of our experience: “I wanted to do this because I could tell you were a nice person. The last person I was with was not nice . . . all he wanted to do was be a teacher.”    
      I have always viewed my mentorship role as multi-faceted, primarily as a positive role model, a caring adult, an advocate, and lastly as an instructor. As Barr and Parrett (2001) write, “The establishment of a mentor relationship may not only be the best, but perhaps the only way for the young adolescent to develop a strong relationship with an adult” (p. 155). I have felt the power of this type of relationship, in the happiness of a child, in the delight of accomplishing and doing good work, in achievement of many types.
      I try to include a literacy element, either reading a short story, book, researching web sites, or any book that catches his interest during our meetings. Ricardo began with very little interest in reading. At the beginning, we looked at classifieds together, at pictures of different dogs, and flipped through magazines. I would bring books from home as well as get books from the school library before our meetings. While we have never read an entire book together, I feel confident that his reading is progressing and has become more important to him. In looking back to my notes on the first day, I am reminded of how far we have come:

2/10/04

I met Ricardo shortly after I came to the computer lab for the reading program. His teacher still didn’t have a clear idea of what she wanted done, nor did I for that matter, but she introduced us and let us go. It was a strange feeling, me being alone with this young boy, having the freedom to go anywhere in the school with him. In fact, when kids saw us walking in the hallways, they asked Ricardo if he was in trouble. That says a lot right there.

So, I immediately started talking, telling him why I was at Suburban Junior High, what my purpose was in wanting to work with him, and encouraging him to tell me about him. We decided we’d go to the library and talk. I found out a lot about him:

His father is from Mexico, but his mother is not. His parents are getting separated, his father is moving out of the house and to another home in Kuna. Ricardo likes dogs, low rider cars, snakes, and riding his bike—and he doesn’t like to read. In fact, he couldn’t recall the last book he’d read or any book he’d read. He felt he was a slow reader “because his mother had told him,” but he was enjoying learning reading on the computer. Since his teacher’s plan was to release him from the Read Naturally program to read with me, I wanted to find out how he felt about the program and try to work out something that was best for him.

I jotted down some notes about him: he liked reading classifieds—that’s good, I could bring him some next time. Also some car magazines would be good, since he said he liked reading magazines. I got the name and room number of his 8^th period English teacher.

I wanted to make it clear to Ricardo that this was his choice. He could decide to work with me or not—he didn’t have to do this. He seemed interested and wasn’t at a loss for words. In fact, Ricardo struck me as intelligent, energetic, and a normal 13-year old boy. He was extremely polite and well-mannered and I wondered why this child was doing so poorly in school. But then, there was his below grade level reading ability. Supposedly he could only read at the 2^nd grade level. Was this what was getting in his way of excelling in school or was it other factors?

We decided that it would be best for him to continue his work on the computer reading program. He seemed to enjoy the program, was reading faster, with more comprehension, and surprisingly told me when I asked, that it might encourage him to read a book. Ricardo had an ELL class before his last class, which was an English class. I spoke with his ELL teacher and she was delighted that I could work with Ricardo. She allowed me to take Ricardo from the classroom, to work with him one on one in the library. Things were falling into place. Now, all Ricardo had to do was decide that he wanted to participate. I asked him again and he said he wanted to do this. I told him I’d be back on Thursday.

During the lunch recess, I went to visit with his English teacher. A young guy, been teaching English for 6 years, graduated from Boise State with a degree in English Teaching, the same degree I got several years ago. He was happy I would be working with Ricardo and gave me the freedom to do whatever I could to help him in English class. Ricardo is currently failing English. I told Travis I could help Ricardo with his reading.

Interestingly . . . all of the teachers who I spoke with described Ricardo as a great kids, but “unfocused.” What did this really mean? That he was bored? That the work was confusing? That he didn’t care to learn that material?  I think this is a copout descriptor, but one that is often thrown around when describing kids who have trouble learning or don’t want to, as Kohl would argue. However, in all deference to the teachers, watching what they have to do every day is overwhelming and immense. It’s easy to see how a kid can slip through the cracks . .

      So, the semester moved on, Ricardo and I became friends, worked, and enjoyed our times together. He experienced the hard work and commitment it takes to complete his assignments and was able to improve his grades from failing to passing. He only failed one course this last grading period as opposed to all of them when I met him. But most of all he’s made progress in reading. His computer reading program, Read Naturally, has been beneficial to him. He feels good about his reading and he announced quite proudly that he now “likes to read.” Being able to read better and faster makes him feel good about himself. Also, feeling what it’s like to succeed as opposed to always failing has greatly boosted his motivation. On our last day together, Ricardo proudly showed me a book he picked out from the school library, a collection of short stories by Gary Soto, Baseball in April. I read him a couple of stories from this book earlier in the semester, but he didn’t seem too interested. Now, he is ready to start reading more challenging materials. Ricardo is on his way.