The Mentoring Collaborative
Mentoring at the Lincoln Academy For Boys With our UT College of Pharmacy partners, The Mentoring Collaborative works with the Toledo Public Schools Lincoln Academy For Boys to hold up these amazing young men with mentoring by positive male role models to develop socialization and academic skills for kindergarten through eigth graders this year! Through the direction of Dr. Johnnie Early, Dean of the College of Pharmacy, we contacted Mrs. Victoria Creekmoore at the Lincoln Academy For Boys to establish our relationship with these wonderful young men. Thank you Dr. Early and Mrs. Creekmoore for providing us with the opportunity to enrich the lives of both UT and Lincoln students. It is our hope that we can continue this relationship in the coming years as we watch our young men grow and thrive. Though the Lincoln Academy for Boys has merged with the Martin Luther King Jr. Academy for Boys, our work continues with the assistance and direction of Mr. Chad Kolebuck, prinicipal and Mr. Willie Ward, assistant principal. Some of the UT students are matched with the same students they had at Lincoln, we also have new UT students and new Marting Luther King Jr. students joining the project. We are also working with the Ella P. Stewart Academy where the young ladies who were at MLK were transferred to keep the integratity of the single gender academic environment. Take a look at photos and comments from mentors and mentees on the following pages.
“Many things have changed my life for the good and for the bad. However, being a mentor at Lincoln Academy For Boys has changed my life for the good. Developing healthy relationships with someone younger than yourself can really take a toll on your heart. When you see that you’re changing someone’s life, knowing that one day they could become someone that can change the world, it is an outstanding feeling. My mentee Taj was really troubled at first but the more I started to develop a relationship with him, I noticed that all he needed was attention to expose his true potential.” Elliott Pruitt, third year UT business major I like Mr. Elliott to play with me. I like to talk to Mr. Elliott. He helps me get better at basketball. Thank you ~ Taj, 4th grader “From the first time I met Dashawn I knew he was going to be an extraordinary kid. He came from the same type of household that I come from, being the eldest in the house and having to be their protector and provider. He is an intelligent kid I am glad I had the pleasure of being his mentor. He has set goals for the future to take school more seriously next year. By the time I met him this year it was too late to turn around his grades and pass the fifth grade, so he will more than likely be repeating the fifth grade. In the future you will see that he has changed as a young man and has learned a lot about me as have I about him. I look at him as my little brother I never had and I will always be here for him as long as he needs me “I am my brothers’ keeper and together we shall rise.” Frank Sutton, fourth year UT premed major/Martin Luther King Jr. site coordinator Dashawn says, “I like having Mr. Frank here because he makes me smile when I see him and I like it when he helps me with my work and when he goes outside with us to play football. Mr. Frank gave me more confidence with my work and school.” Love Dashawn, 5th grader
As a mentor at the Lincoln Academy for Boys, I have had the opportunity to meet many bright, young men. Also, I have had the opportunity to impress upon them my skills and ability to communicate with others. As a college student who is faced with additional challenges, namely my blindness, I hope to be an inspiration for these students and wish that they will be successful throughout their lives. Many of these students have never seen a successful blind person before and they are simply amazed with how quickly I have learned their school building. I have found the staff and teachers at Lincoln to be friendly and open to having college students as mentors in their building. Each time I visit the school, they are warm and welcoming. Whenever my primary mentee is absent, they always have another student available with whom I can talk and spend some quality time. Robby Spangler, fourth year UT Urban Studies major I like Mr. Robby because he helps me believe in myself. He asks me what subject I’m most good at so that tells me that he is invested in me. I like everything about Mr. Robby because Mr. Robby helps me in every way because he wants me to succeed my goals. Nicholas is a fifth grader Photos of Krzysztof and Jadon were not available. But here are there comments: “Jadon is a smart young man and I enjoyed working with him to help him to read better and to develop better study habits. Students like Jadon deserve to meet people who can show them that through study they can change their lives and realize their dreams. Helping Jadon working on himself make me feel reworded and the teachers at the school were very friendly and helpful. Though I have not worked with children before, I enjoyed this experience and hope that all the students were able to benefit from our support.“ Krzysztof Ozga, third year UT pharmacy major “I like when Krys helps me read. I like when he helps me with my math. I like everything about Krys!.” Jadon, fourth grader
“It is difficult for me to put into words how I feel about mentoring James. This was my first time mentoring a young person like him and i learned a lot about young people by working with James. The way that they interact with people, their teachers and other people in school shows me how differently they see the world. It makes me know there is work to be done. Words that are spoken into your life are the reason why you who you are. It makes me realize that even I as a college student have been affected by the impact the words of other people have had on my life. This mentoring program is an excellent opportunity for both mentors and mentees to learn from one another and help each other develop, both socially and academically.” Leslie Dinsey is a third year business major “I really like Mr. Leslie because he helps me learn and my teachers say that I behave better since he is my mentor. I think I feel better about being in school because I know he will be coming to see me.” James is a first grader All of our mentors and mentees are outstanding, but these two - are inseparable!
Noah Asumuda, a third year pharmacy student, and Keshawn
Anthony Panford, a third year pharmacy student, and Don
The Mentoring Collaborative Judith Herb College of Education * 1000W Gillham Hall 419.381.3280 * sdoles@utoledo.edu * www.utoledo.edu/offices/mentoring
Letter of Support from Lincoln Academy for Boys August 25, 2010 Mrs. Victoria Creekmore 5716 Kylie Ct. Sylvania, Ohio 43560 To Who It May Concern: The purpose of this letter is to recommend the continuation and expansion of mentoring of elementary, middle and high schools students through The Mentoring Collaborative. I had the pleasure of working with Ms. Sheila Doles last year with students of the former Lincoln Academy for Boys in the Toledo Public School System. The Mentoring Collaborative provided quality time for boys who came to school with a lack of selfconfidence in their own ability to succeed. These students come to school angry and believed that there was no one in life that really cares. Lincoln Academy for Boys used the Responsible Thinking Process (RTP) to teach the boys, in a respectful manner, how to take responsibility for their choices. The boys from the academy who were mentored on a weekly basis by The Mentoring Collaborative were from grades kindergarten through the sixth grade. RTP has taught educators that quality time with a caring person is very important for students having difficulty. It allows a relationship to be established which is necessary for building their self-worth and their belief in their ability to succeed, so that when there are problems or something goes wrong, they can learn ways to deal with it. The mentors began working with the boys at the academy who were considered “frequent fliers� to RTC (Responsible Thinking Classroom). The excitement of being chosen as someone to receive a mentor immediately put smiles on their faces. As the weeks continued some of the boys would come to my room and ask when they would see their mentor again. The mentors would spend time on their visits reading with their young students, helping in math; have lunch with them and/or discussing difficult situations that had arisen since their last visit. One mentor would just sit in class with his student to lend his support. Afterwards the classroom teacher would express to me that just his being present allowed the student to act more self-confident when doing his class work.
We asked the mentors to come dressed appropriately when they came to Lincoln. We found that this was noticed by several of our young students and we began noticing that the young students were starting to take more pride in the way they looked and were dressed. One mentor checked on his student frequently in between his weekly visits through communication with the classroom teacher. He was working with him on his study skills and he checked to see if his assignments were being turned in more often. It was because of this involvement that the young student’s grades began to improve. The classroom teacher would report to me that she noticed a big difference in her student’s overall attitude towards his work. Our kindergartner liked to be able to report to his mentor that he had been making good choices and that he hadn’t chosen RTC since his last visit. He would beam ear to ear when he reported this to his mentor. We noticed him becoming more aware of the choices he made throughout his days. Many parents told me how important they felt this relationship was for their son. They expressed to me their appreciation for the chance their son had to establish this relationship with their mentor. They felt it a very valuable experience for him. It was because of The Collaborative Mentoring, that the Lincoln boys could find a caring person in their lives. One that they might never had experienced if not given the opportunity to spend this valuable quality time with the mentors. It is for these reasons that I would like to see this program continued and expanded. What a fantastic way to reach the young people in our society. Sincerely,
Mrs. Victoria Creekmore Mrs. Victoria Creekmore Responsible Thinking Process Teacher Lincoln Academy for Boys 419.882.8520/ 419.351.2079 vcreekm@buckeye-express.com