Dave Schmitt, Hope Church Kids Hope Mentor
I will admit that I went into this mentoring process with more than a little bit of trepidation. While I really wanted to help and make a difference, I was mindful of my limited skill-set when it comes to verbal communications, especially with a young child. I could picture myself sitting there with nothing to say or talk about. Fortunately, all of my fears were unfounded (as is usually the case) and while I will admit to periods of awkwardness, mainly on my part because of our irrational environment of political correctness where you have to be careful about what you ask and how you ask it, things went fairly smoothly.
My little third grader proved to be easy to get along and be with. We have gotten into a routine now of going to the game closet and picking out something fun to do, finding a spot to settle in, talking a little about his week, usually working on a math worksheet, and then playing our game; though last week, it was the new Lego set that interested him the most and he had fun putting the vehicle (not sure exactly what it was, maybe a fire engine) together.
Almost every week I learn something new about him as we grow in our relationship. For instance, this week, it came up that he really likes to fish, but sadly, that is not one of my skill-sets either so we will continue to explore other things that we can do together. I hope I am making a difference, I think maybe I am.
Dave’s third grade mentee is also a “newbie” in the Kids Hope program. He is one of five children at home. His teacher referred him to Kids Hope because she felt he could benefit by having a positive role model and he needs academic help, especially in math. Along with his older brother, he will be spending a week at Camp Geneva this summer thanks to the generosity of the Hope Church family.