Mentoring Includes Everyone
Mentoring has so many benefits to everyone involved in the process, and sometimes can make things that seem insurmountable attainable. Fear and uncertainty can be tackled over time by building great relationships with people who are there consistently for kids and their families. This is a story that illustrates that perfectly.
For National Mentoring Month, staff and IPA providers are sharing stories of mentoring relationship that have moved them personally and made a lasting impact on the lives and children and their families. The following is a success story featuring Jessica Medicis, a Student Engagement Specialist in our Utica City School District System of Care. She has been mentoring children ages 5-12 since 2023.
In Jessica’s role, she strives to make sure students are engaged and supported in their learning environment. She works with them on social emotional skills - sharing what they’re feeling, what triggers the feelings, and how they can work through them positively. She also helps make them feel safe and helps them enjoy coming to school.
A Morning Ritual of Refusal
Jessica worked with a fifth grade student, who had a single dad raising him and his three older siblings. He was a special education student with a history of mental health illnesses. Going from home to school was an extreme challenge. Home was his safe place and going “into the unknown” proved to be overwhelming on a daily basis. He would sit in his dad’s minivan with his arms crossed for a half hour, and sometimes he would kick, yell and cry. These incidents and refusal to enter school caused his dad to be late to work almost daily. He dreaded mornings because they were just so difficult.
Trust and Tactics – a Winning Combination
Jessica got to work and began to get the student to trust her. She would spend time getting to know him - sometimes sitting outside the school for 45 minutes (in the winter!) getting him ready and willing to journey inside. Many times they chatted about the Buffalo Bills, his favorite team. Through her consistent support and outreach, she also developed a relationship with the father on ways he could help his son overcome his anxiety about coming to school. They created visual schedules and token boards, along with other strategies.
Being THE Person
As a mentor, Jessica was able to be the student’s safe person and be a familiar face. She was the one person to see him every day upon his arrival to school and to help the transition into the building. Once he got into classroom, it’s like the mornings never happened. And over time, he would come into school independently EVERY morning and Jessica would shout a “Go Bills!” greeting.
Letting the Parent Know They’re Doing Great
In helping out his son, Jessica had many conversations and interactions with the dad, who was struggling trying to work through the behavioral challenges. Her relationship with him was a lot of peer support (Jessica has four kids herself!) and she kept him positive by affirming that he was doing everything right - he didn’t give up, he remained patient and he helped reinforce at home everything they were working on with his son in school.
The Importance of Adults Uniting for a Student
Working as a unit WITH parents/guardians/teachers/workers, mentors can help deliver consistent messaging to students, stay on routine and know the full story behind the initial behavior so that everyone can work together to keep the student moving forward.
The student's continuous efforts and success means that he no longer needs Jessica’s services. That doesn’t stop her from checking in on him. He is excelling in the classroom and having a great year so far and you bet whenever she sees him in the hallway he yells, “Go Bills!”
Dad shares that the outcome has been great. “He still has his moments, but I’m able to go about my life without things holding me back. It has made my life so much easier.”
Jessica’s insights on the mentor relationship
“This was a student that I won’t soon forget - being able to handle a daily transition has helped HIM grow tremendously in his life. I have seen families be able to work together on their struggles, and learn to communicate better. They really grow to appreciate our services as they see positive changes in their kids' lives. That’s the most rewarding outcome for me to see in these mentor relationships!”
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About the City of Utica School District System of Care
ICAN is a collaborative member of the UCSD System of Care. Launched in 2023, we provide a comprehensive care system of Tier 2 Supports, Behavioral and Clinical Supports, and Training and Education for students and staff. In the first year, ICAN served 356 students in all 13 schools throughout the district and reached well over 6,000 students and 600 staff through training. It meets critical needs and eliminates obstacles. Parents and guardians are also connected with community and school resources to gain access to what they need to succeed.
UCSD SOC supports students who are either involved in high-risk behaviors or at risk of engaging in such behaviors, or receiving special education support. Services aim to bridge the gap and promote a decrease in high-risk behaviors while increasing positive classroom time and overall engagement. The program assists students in navigating through life and achieving their full potential.
The program also hosts many events beyond school hours that are created to empower students, expose them to new things, provide recreational and learning opportunities, and give a chance to begin to frame who they want to become as individuals.