Thank you for being a mentor! Beth Shaw

In Spring Branch ISD we believe student success depends on all of us working together.  

Staring this month, in honor of National Mentoring Month, SBISD will be sharing the stories of outstanding leaders in our community who take on the role of mentor.  Look for this feature and make sure to thank someone in your life who listens, takes time to care, and supports you!

When we work together...anything is possible.

We need more community. - Beth Shaw, SBISD Mentor

Beth Shaw got involved as a mentor as a way to make a more human connection to the work she and her daughter were doing as volunteers for SBISD through the National Charity League’s Houston Hearts Chapter. She could see there was a need for kids to learn better communication skills like conversation and making eye contact. Since Mrs. Shaw is a natural good listener, she felt being a mentor would be a good fit for her. She was joined by 10 other NCL mothers to form a strong and steady mentor group at Spring Branch Elementary.

Mrs. Shaw’s mentee, Alaynah, is currently in fourth grade, and gets so excited on the days she knows her mentor will be coming to visit. They have done many fun projects together like making a jeweled treasure box, a photo album, Mothers’ Day card, and a Christmas ornament, which Alaynah gave to her mother.  They tried making some woven bracelets last year, and both decided they would wait until they were ‘older’ to try that project again!

Alaynah’s favorite activity, though, is to talk while they are working on projects. She likes it when they each get to share what they did during holiday breaks. Mrs. Shaw mentioned she often shares stories about her own three children with her mentee, to let her know about how other families operate. Alaynah was very interested in discussing the dog that was included in the Shaw family Christmas card photograph as she also has dogs at home.

On a couple of occasions, Mrs. Shaw has had the opportunity to meet Alaynah’s parents, and it has been nice to let them know that someone in the community cares. “We just need more community,” says Mrs. Shaw. This, along with mentoring, ties in nicely with the Search Institute’s finding that one of the 40 Developmental Assets (the building blocks for healthy development to help young people grow up healthy, caring and responsible) is that the “young person perceives that adults in the community value youth.”

Alaynah looks forward to having Mrs. Shaw as a mentor for as long as possible. “I want to stay connected to her because she is so kind,” she said. Alaynah’s favorite subjects in school are Math and Science, and she hopes to become a veterinarian one day. Maybe she will be able to take care of the Shaw’s dog!

For information on being a mentor, or volunteering in Spring Branch ISD, visit the Community Relations section of the SBISD website.  Click here to read more about our mentoring programs.