Kids are great mentors - especially when it comes to helping people younger learn to read or build skills. Studies have been done that paired 5th graders with 2nd graders to help the second graders build reading skills. What happened was not only did the 2nd graders become better readers, but the 5th graders' reading skills improved dramatically, too. Many schools now have buddy style reading programs as part of their curriculums.

       From the moment a student can read, he or she becomes a mentor for younger children. We've all seen it. My nephew, even as a kindergartener would come home from school, pretend he was Mrs. Kennedy, his teacher, and read the Little Red Hen to his younger brother. Of course, it was probably because he had memorized the story, but still …. Everyone is a mentor.

       Being a mentor is a very important role. Mentors can change a community, a family, a classroom or a school. Sometimes, mentors can even change the world especially when it’s about reading and thinking.  Reading ability has been shown to be an important factor in the quality of life for individuals, families and communities. Along with changing their communities, there are so many other reasons that make mentoring a great opportunity for students to do something important for themselves and others.