The Mentor as a Helpful People

Carta al departamento

==========

TIE 020 Fall 2015

Héctor Paúl Ayala Valadez

November 12th, 2015

Essay 2nd Draft 3th

The Mentor as a Helpful People

Five years ago, I had an opportunity of be a part of a mentors program La Ciudad de los Niños, an association that helps orphan children in Jalisco, Mexico. There, I met Arath Samir Mu Lee. He is a teenager who needed someone to be with him. At that time, I did not understand how important a mentor was, and even more, the importance of assisting in the formation of a child. I have seen Arath grow in stature and wisdom, and that has been very gratifying for me. To help a person makes you feel good, but contributing to the formation of a child is even more satisfying, especially when you can see all that a child has learned from you.

You can make your pupil very happy. When you talk with your mentee, he/she is very happy. You give him/her the feeling of being listened to, and of being important for somebody. I remember when I spoke with Arath about his school or his day, he felt important because I was interested in what he had to say, but what he liked most was the advice that I gave him since it was always based on examples from my life. But giving him advice is not the only way to make him happy. If I played with him, he was happy. Which play was the best? The best game was the one that we both enjoyed. Some sport, video games or to playing with other children. I have cousins who are the same age as Samir and they played together soccer or traditional Mexican games, but he liked to play video games with me because I was very bad at video games and he could win easily. Something that Arath loved was that every Sunday I took him to play soccer. You can have delightful moments with your mentee outside, in the cinema, in a park or in the theater. We found that we liked the same movies and theaters.

Your time and instructions will make your mentee a better person. Help him with his homework; don't do his homework. You only help him because if you do his homework, you don't teach him to be responsible with his homework. I always helped Arath, and I explained him everything that he didn't understand about math, science, history and Spanish. I tried to be helpful for him in his school. When he was 12 years old, I asked his director for permission for Arath to study outside the orphanage in secondary school where I worked. And Angel, the director of program, told to me yes. I was happier since Arath could learn more and be near me. One important detail I taught him was about good manners at meals. I taught Samir about good behavior with the help of a book "Carreño's manual", not