Sanchez Elementary School Online Mentoring Program Tips for Online Mentors: Preparation and Things to Keep in Mind

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• Plan a time every week to spend on this project. It won't take much time, but it will take real time. At the very least, it will mean reading your protegé's e-mail and writing e-mail yourself. You will also have messages from the Program Team you will need to read and, sometimes, answer.

  We suggest you plan for 30 minutes a week. This can be at anytime, day or night, that you choose!

• When you are matched with a young person, promptly e-mail that student and introduce yourself. Refer to your profile (it will be available online for the students to view). Encourage the student to tell similar things about themselves.

• You do not have to wait for a response from your student to write that student again!

• Students have received an orientation from their teachers explaining what youth can expect from this online experience. Remember that all messages are being archived and reviewed by the program team, and that parents may review exchanges by their child and mentors upon request.

• You, as a mentor, need to set the tone for this online relationship, and be as open and chatty as you hope your protegé will be. Remember that these are fourth graders; they have a different writing style than adults. They will write in short sentences, and may only offer a few sentences in each reply.

  If a student has not written you within an entire week (Monday through Friday), e-mail the appropriate teacher (see your e-mail program updates for this information) and let him or her know. Be sure to name your student!

• Fourth grade is the age when students are learning to spell. This is the age where children are learning to express themselves via written language.

  In the September 1990 issue of NEWSWEEK called TEACHING OUR KIDS, it's noted that one of the things both phonics and whole-language advocates agree on is the value of writing instruction for young children that encourages children to think like writers and express themselves in writing long before they've mastered all the mechanics of language.

  A person may fear that a child will forever write "while" as YL or spell "looks" as LUKS. However, according to the article, educators say that this early spelling is, in effect, a form of self-taught phonics; children are figuring out for themselves that the letters have particular sounds that come together to form words. Their guesses at spelling may not always be correct, but they usually exhibit some logic. And children who are encouraged to write early -- even before they know how to spell correctly -- learn to read more quickly.

  So always praise kids for their subject matter and for expressing themselves, and THEN, as appropriate, correct spelling with the student. (I have noticed that, while sometimes the spelling isn't great, the grammar and flow of content in the e-mails are good, for the most part).

• Don't be surprised if there are ups and downs in the level of exchanges with youth online. At the beginning of the experience, youth will probably write often. This may taper off suddenly when the interactions aren't "novel" anymore. We have suggestions on how to keep the conversation flowing. You will receive additional prompts from the Program Team.

   
  

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