Smoke Signals

This week, Smoke Signals walked the EC campus asking both teachers and students what they think about Mentor Monday. Most of the answers were not surprising.

This is the second year EC has held Mentor Monday during 3rd Block. Teachers go over slides provided by the school and check in with students that need extra help.

The biggest complaints revolved around the altered Monday schedule. Teachers and students alike struggle with the shortened 1st, 2nd, and 4th block as well as having a much later lunch on Mondays. Underclassmen typically labeled MM as “boring” and wished they had an opportunity to have club meetings during that time instead.

Upperclassmen overwhelmingly expressed a wish to go back to having a consistent mentor teacher that followed them year to year. Dual Enrollment, CEC, and Work-Based Learning students also said they struggled with the different schedule on Mondays.

Some teachers were quick to highlight the benefits of the current system– despite the hunger pangs associated with that late lunch time. “I feel like I know the students in my 3rd Block class better than I ever did the students in my mentor group that I didn’t see very often,” said Mrs. Richardson. Other teachers expressed similar sentiments and like to use some of that extra time to get students caught up in all of their classes.

Most EC students and teachers agreed that Mentor Monday is a great idea that might need a little help with its execution.