SILER CITY — More than a month after the One Chatham forum on poverty’s effect on public education, one message still offers a chance for Chatham-ites to make a difference.
Be a mentor to a student, and have a life-changing effect on the next generation.
During the forum on September 11, sponsored by the News + Record and UNC’s Our Chatham project, panelists referenced time and time again the need for community members to step into the schools and play a role in students’ lives, particularly those in poverty.
Jazmin Mendoza Sosa, student support specialist at Virginia Cross Elementary School, said she’s been working on motivation with students at her school, but they’re missing mentors.
“They don’t have someone they can look up to or see as a guidance,” she said. “I do encourage the community to be that mentor, be that adult, help us build that relationship by maybe being in the school.”
Mendoza Sosa added that there is particularly a lack of minority teachers. When coupled with the relatively lower salary in teaching compared to other jobs, she said that lack can be perpetuated.
“Often people of color don’t take professions, like teachers, it’s not that high paying a job,” she said. “What kind of jobs are our kids going to take when they go to college? Money has been an issue at home, so they tend to choose other professions. I think that also plays into what kind of jobs kids are going to take when they go into college.”
Not that Chatham County Schools are without community involvement. Panelist Larry Savage, the principal at Siler City Elementary, said groups will come to his school to drop off books for students. The district announced earlier this fall that volunteers at the Chatham PTA Thrift Shop combined for 74,483 hours of work and generated $603,340.23 for the schools.
“Volunteers serve a major role in the success of the Chatham PTA Thrift Shop,” said Chatham PTA Thrift Shop treasurer Wilhelmina Ritter, who teaches physical education at Siler City Elementary School. “They bring in donations, sort and hang clothes, work to keep all three stores clean, along with many other tasks. All the volunteer hours that are worked allow the stores to run more efficiently without hiring more employees.”
And that money goes directly to schools. Bennett School’s representatives worked 12,623.4 hours and earned $75,548.82 for the school’s PTA.
While that’s undoubtedly helpful — CCS referenced “a measure of financial uncertainty on account of the state’s budget remaining in limbo” for districts across the state — educators say they want to see just as much in-person involvement.
“We always could use tutors in the classroom, mentors for the students and any resources. I think that people are the greatest resources for our students,” Savage said. “Our teachers struggle because they’re trying to work with a small group working with a struggling group of students. They have to develop a culture in the classroom where the other students have to work independently, and that is very difficult.”
There are opportunities to get involved right away, particularly through Communities In Schools of Chatham County. Shirille Lee runs the Lunch Buddies and mentorship programs through the nonprofit.
Lunch Buddies is fairly simple — have lunch with an assigned student once a week for the school year. Lee said it’s a much easier commitment for those unsure if they’re right for the program and can have a significant effect on students.
“Kids just enjoy having an adult come eat lunch with them,” Lee said. “It’s definitely a treat, probably for the adult as much as it is for the student.”
The CIS’ mentorship program connects community members with students for deeper relationships, four hours a month for a full calendar year. After the 12 months, the mentor and mentee are asked if they want the relationship to continue. Lee said some matches have lasted from kindergarten through high school graduation.
Those kind of relationships, she said, others take for granted but some kids are missing out on.
“We’re not asking volunteers to create time, but just including the mentees in things they’re already doing,” she said. “It’s a process, and sometimes it may take longer than what people may think it does, but we do want to make sure we’re doing everything possible to make sure it’s a good match.”
Chris Poston, CCS’ executive director for elementary and middle grades education, said at the One Chatham forum that “there’s always a kid” who doesn’t have his last name at his house.
“We have such a wonderful community here in Chatham County,” he said. “There are so many kids who need someone to speak into their destiny. I think that onus is on us as a community to find those students and support them.”
It’s not easy, Mendoza Sosa said, particularly in working with students in poverty. But they need love and support.
“Kids in poverty don’t want your pity,” she said. “They want your relationships. They want you to really care about them. Go out there and really do something.”
Reporter Zachary Horner can be reached at zhorner@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @ZachHornerCNR.