The matching process is one of the most important parts of the mentoring relationship. The Mentor Specialist does all the matching personally because they are the one that recruits and trains the mentors. In an effort to match your child with someone that they will most likely have something in common with, the process can sometimes take weeks or months.

All of our schools provide tutoring for students who are needing extra help on academics. RISE Mentors serve a different, yet equally important, role. Our mentors are working to build a trusting relationship with their mentees in hopes that in the future the student will feel comfortable enough to allow the mentor to help guide him/her through different struggles or decisions. As in all relationships, this trust is built through informal activities and can’t be rushed. Our mentors have to follow the child’s lead in order to establish repor. There is clear evidence to support that if a mentor goes into a relationship focusing solely on how the child is doing academically, the child will not want to continue the mentoring. There is also evidence to support that in many cases, if there is a strong mentor/mentee relationship that has had time to grow, academics do improve even though the mentor and mentee do not work on school work. We just have to trust the process and allow the two an opportunity and time to get to know each other outside of how the child is performing in school.

While the answer to this question varies depending on the child, for the most part students participating in RISE have been recommended because right now in their life they seem to be “missing” something. Some are missing self-confidence, others are missing the ability to connect with their peers and they are lonely. Some are missing significant people in their lives that are no longer there for various reasons, and some are missing acceptance from someone other than a family member.

Although these reasons may vary from student to student, something that does not vary is the fact that our mentors are not coming in to “fix” these students, and they are not coming in to replace a parent. We see you, the parent, as the most important person in this child’s life and our mentors are just hoping to come along side the child and become another positive influence in their world. We see parents and mentors as partners!

Yes! We don’t give the mentors your contact information and we don’t give parents’ the mentor’s information from the beginning because some kids need to see the mentor relationship as “their own” in order to trust it. In other words, if they think mom or dad is in the mentor’s ear all the time, then they will most likely not trust the mentor because they see him/her as simply relaying your information. However, it is never our intention to keep you and the mentor apart. We know from past experiences and research that when the mentor and the parent have a positive relationship, either with the child’s knowledge or without it, then this only serves to strengthen the relationship between the mentor and the mentee. If at any time you would like to communicate with your child’s mentor, simply let your child’s counselor know or you can contact the District Mentor Specialist and let them know.

Our mentors are recruited from many different places in the community. We have college students, parents, doctors, policemen, firemen, city employees, school district employees (not teachers), business owners, retirees, and many, many more!

Every RISE Mentor must complete an application where they provide 2 references. They also have to complete a criminal background check and attend a 3 hour training with the District Mentor Specialist. Only after all three of these things have been completed, will they be matched with a student.

We do not pull students from core academic classes or classes that a child is struggling in. Each campus decides the day and time that would be best for the student to be pulled for the 30 minutes they meet with their mentor.

Your child will be with their same mentor for as long as they and the mentor are interested in continuing the relationship and for as long as the schedule works out. Of course, we would love for them to stay connected as long as possible with their mentor, but sometimes there are reasons that the relationship needs to close. If that is the case, we will talk to your child to see if they are interested in being rematched with a new mentor. You do not need to complete a new permission form each year. Once you complete the permission form for the first time, it is good for the duration of your child’s time in Pearland ISD or until you revoke their participation in RISE by emailing or calling the campus counselor or the District RISE Specialist.