What’s Right With Our Schools: ‘Morning Mentors’ at East Laurens Primary help kindergartners excel in academics

DUBLIN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – East Laurens County second graders are playing the role as the teacher as they help other students improve in their academics.

“I love helping kids so they can learn more,” says second grader Tyler Clark.

“We all learn from each other and no one is exempt from that. Teachers learn from students, students learn from teachers and peers learn from each other,” says Instructional coach Brandi Purser.

The second graders are called the ‘Morning Mentors’ and they’re showing kindergartners and first graders how to excel in reading and math.

“I have to follow along with them with their words when they’re reading them to me and if they’re having trouble, I tell them to try sounding it out,” Clark continues.

“I show them cards and if they get it wrong, I tell them so they can do right,” second grader Ty Baumann.

Every morning the mentors report to their homeroom, grab their mentor badge a head to the classroom of the student they’re mentoring for the day. The session lasts about 40 minutes. They go over math problems using flash cards and read books to students as well as go over spelling words.

Kindergarten students say they enjoy interacting with the other students.

“I understand what the second graders are teaching me,” says kindergartner Raylee Souls.

Raylee Souls is one of the students who agree. She says it’s helping her get better in reading.

“I have to sound out my spelling words and I for my sight words, I have to tell them what they are,” Souls continues.

When the mentors tutor the kindergartners and the first graders, it’s helping them with their sight words and their math problems. But it’s also helping them become a better leader.

“I’m helping more kids and it’s making me more smarter as I’m doing it with them,” second grader Brylan Ikner adds.

The leadership skills and the learning that go on at East Laurens Primary is not the only thing that’s right with this school. Administrators believe their students are becoming problem solvers.

Principal Dr.Sherri Moorman says, “The more ways that they figure out to help that child learn, it makes them think, it helps them become the problem solver. If they can figure out how to help this child then that gives them those strategies the skills of their own to help them learn how to solve problems.”

The mentors are selected based on their academic performance in the classroom and their benchmark testing.