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Maryland Mentor Corps: Making a Difference in Students’ Lives
- Erica Smith
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- Apr 24, 2021
- 2 min read
By Courtney Cohn, Justice and Legal Thought Scholar
This program was especially important during COVID-19, when many students had online classes. It was even harder than usual for them to learn and stay on track in their classes. I helped provide the extra support and help students needed during this challenging time.
For my service-learning project, I volunteered at Maryland Mentor Corps. The program pairs UMD students (mentors) with PG County elementary school students. We tutor them in math and reading. Specifically, I tutored fourth grade students in the Maryland Math Program. This work matters because I helped make a difference in students’ lives. I helped them stay on track in school when it was easy for them to fall behind in the schools or environments they were in. I made students feel confident in their math abilities and skills and helped them enjoy learning by playing math games. Also, I built relationships with students, provided support, brightened their days and gave them someone to talk to every week. Additionally, I helped them with their homework, which is so important because they may not have someone at home who can help them.
This program was especially important during COVID-19, when many students had online classes. It was even harder than usual for them to learn and stay on track in their classes. I helped provide the extra support and help students needed during this challenging time.
This program strives to lower the opportunity gap and mitigate the impacts of education inequality in some PG County schools. Some of the schools that these students attended may not receive a lot of funding, which has a direct impact on students. Elementary school education is vital because that is when students learn the fundamental skills and knowledge they will need for the rest of their education.
I also did other volunteer work for the program. I wrote blurbs for the weekly newsletter for the mentors about education organizations they could get involved in. Then, I helped create training modules for mentors next semester. These modules will teach them about important education issues. Both of the projects I did encouraged mentors to continue to make a difference in combatting education inequality. Now after my time volunteering, I am passionate about improving our education system and would like to continue making a difference in the future. This is a special program, and I am glad I got to be a part of it this semester.
Hi Courtney! I used to work a lot with little kids when I was in high school, so I was curious to hear about your experience with them in the virtual environment. I enjoyed hearing about the work you did with the children, it's incredible that you were able to help students who might not have had the help at home! What drew you to this, since you're a journalism major?
Hi Courtney,
You did such important work this semester. As a tutor myself, I have seen the necessity for mentoring programs, especially in disadvantaged communities, because there are not enough people rooting for these kids' success, but through these one hour sessions each week, we are making a difference not only for the child's academic betterment but also in their social and emotional betterment. It's great that you want to continue to tutor! Did you tutor in an online format or an in-person one?
Courtney,
As someone who has tutored before, I know how important the work is and it sounds like you did an amazing job. Even though over the years, education has become more widely available, there are still those who have personal struggles preventing them from learning properly. I think tutoring projects provide a fantastic service for those that may be getting behind. Would you likely be tutoring again when everything opens up, assuming this was online?
Hi, Courtney!
As someone who tutors math, I think this sounds like a wonderful topic and a wonderful way to make an impact in the community. If substantial change regarding education is not made, then things like these- mentorship programs- will likely continue to be a very effective way of helping children's educations.
Hi Courtney,
The colors definitely drew me to your poster but I love the topic and it was interesting to see how impactful mentorship can be