“What Douglass students (mentees)

have to say…”

Who did you write about and why?

I had a book about Rosa Parks and I wanted to write about her. I wrote about Frederick Douglass because our school is named after him and our program.

Obama, because he cares about the world.

I wrote about Martin Luther King because he’s a good man like Barack Obama.

What did you learn from writing and reading your own book?

Learned how to make a book, you need a character, a setting and a plot, you need more than one item in a story.

That even though people are better than other people, nobody can be better than everybody.

I learned to write and its fun and when you read you get better.

I learned how to read it.  I learned writing. I learned about learning.

About Martin Luther King- it wasn’t fair that black and white people couldn’t go to the same school or work at the same places or go on the same buses. He got the black and white people together.

I learned how to write. I learned sounding out the words.

I learned that I can read my book real good. I learned that I could draw pictures real good and write it real good.

I’m gonna write another book!

I learned that reading makes you a good reader.

You have to stick with it and write your book.

That I was good at it.

"What Temple students (mentors)

have to say…”

What do you think the child/children gained from this experience?

I think my [buddy] has learned to be more confident in her reading and writing after seeing her book and being able to read it to her peers.

I think [my buddy] was able to experience some direct individual attention that he does not receive very often.

I think my [buddy] gained a sense of pride from this experience. I think [my buddy] learned how much he can accomplish, especially after seeing his book put together.

What did you gain from this experience?

I learned that I can have a huge impact on a child simply by spending an hour reading with them.  This was probably the best experience of my freshman year.

It was very rewarding.  It was nice to feel like I was making a difference by giving [my buddy] my time.

From participating in the book buddies program, I have learned that dedicating my time and attention to children in need truly makes a difference. 

Children experienced increased self esteem and also improved their academic skills.

He [my buddy] gave me a huge hug and said thank you.  This program was one of the most rewarding experiences that I have ever had!

What did you like most about the experience?

Her [my buddy's] reaction to everything new we did, and her happiness when I would come get her from her classroom each week.

What I enjoyed most about the experience was seeing how excited the kids were to see us every week.  Seeing their smiles made the experience worth it!

I think the best part of this experience is seeing the final product and knowing how proud the kids are going to be of their work.

What I like most about this experience was the ceremony at the end when the children received their completed books.  Even though my buddy left before I got there, it was still enjoyable to see how happy and excited the children were to receive their books.  That is definitely the best part of this program!