Published Thursday, December 06, 2007 2:55 PM
Updated Tuesday, January 29, 2008 4:50 PM
Mentor program encourages 'Warrior Wisdom'
"Today's your choice. You can choose to make it a great day or not."
This is the decision that Westview Middle School students will make every morning for their latest project, the "Warrior Wisdom" program.
The unique program began Dec. 4 at the school.
Warrior Wisdom is based on the oldest, most successful education program, Project Wisdom, and is an advisor/advisee program that enables teachers to establish a more personable relationship with their students.
Jerome Davis is the principle at Westview Middle School. He said he is excited about the program.
"We researched it," Davis said. "We wanted our program to be good ... to mean something. This is about teachers working together to promote student achievement.
"We want our students to get the best education possible."
Warrior Wisdom will be used to create a positive relationship with the students to help build character and a better community.
Beginning December 4, students will attend their regularly scheduled homeroom class followed by an advisory session with an advisor. All advisors are teachers at Westview.
Each student will be given directions as to who his or her advisor will be prior to the starting date, and teachers will have an attendance sheet and master list as guides to indicate who will be with which advisor once all of the students are released from homeroom.
Students will then have discussions with the advisor and a famous quote will be read over the PA system after the Pledge of Allegiance, ending with the choice to make this a good day or a bad day.
"The purpose it to provide a person that the students know they can come talk to, kind of like a mentor," Davis said. "To really develop a relationship with these students."
The first session will introduce the advisees to Warrior Wisdom, explaining what the purpose of the program will be. As the program progresses, goals will be set and students will have the chance to get to personally know teachers through class discussions of their likes, dislikes, background information and any other random facts that they would like to share with the class.
As a result, advisors will step out of their role as teachers to become more personable.
"It's new and I'm sure there's going to be problems, but we're going to get through them," Davis said. "If we really embrace contact, I think we'll really see a change."