"You Did Good, Girl" 

We take every opportunity to make our moments with the Mentees a new learning experience.

And sometimes, its us the Mentors that learn something new.

Cultural Differences

Our culture shapes us.  What exactly does culture consist of?

Most times when we think of culture our first thought is language, and while language is a part of it, culture consists of so much more.

I attended an Academy Accreditation Workshop and learned that culture also includes our actions, beliefs, customs, thoughts, and values.

This new wealth of information came in handy during our very next mentoring session.

“You Did Good, Girl!”

On Mondays, we teach our Mentees Cursive Writing, as this is no longer offered in some schools.

Honestly, the Mentees were not overly excited about learning to write in Cursive, particularly the males. (I suppose one of the reasons for this is the level of comfort in texting and printing.  However, some of their printing is horrible and I don’t understand how their teachers understand it.) (Perhaps, that will be another topic for a blog.)

Girls and Boys of Character is diverse in the Mentees we serve, and we have some that are of Latina heritage, or Spanish speaking.

While teaching Cursive writing, I noticed that one of the young girls was not participating.  I asked her why?

Her older sister responded, “Mrs. Barbara, L. does not know how to write in Cursive.”

“That’s why we’re teaching her.”  Her sister spoke to her, and she slowly began to practice writing.

After a while, I noticed she had completed the first page.  I said, “L. look at your Cursive writing.  You did good, girl!”

The older sister raised her hand, I acknowledged her, and she said, “Mrs. Barbara, L. is not a dog.”

I was lost for a minute. One of our Mentees knew it and said, “She thinks you’re calling her sister a dog when you said, ‘You did good, girl.”

The light bulb came on!  She understood my words to be used when you’re encouraging your dog.  In her culture, she heard, “You did good girl”, not you did good, girl.”

This was a learning experience for both of us.  A moment to be patient, look for understanding without first being offended and to listen.

Mentoring has so many levels to it.  And we at Girls and Boys of Character, make every effort to keep learning and listening to serve our mentees well.

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