Tom Kuhn and Oscar Picasa
“Can you read me the answer you came up with?”
“Six-million …”
“Wait … look again.”
“Oh yeah! Six-billion…”
“Did you ever think you would be able to do a math problem that would have an answer in the billions?”
“No!” He said, sheepishly grinning from ear to ear.
This is the actual answer to a math problem I gave to my mentee, Oscar, to reinforce his multiplication tables. I have worked with Oscar through Casa Chirilagua’s mentoring program for two years, and I can honestly say that while such moments as these are hard won… they are deeply satisfying. Prior to arriving at the place of being able to answer a problem whose solution was in the billions, we’d had a battle.
During our time together, I’d seen tremendous progress in Oscar’s reading. He says: “I enjoy reading with my mentor; he helps me when I get stuck on a word.” But that enjoyment was something he grew into over time. Math was a different story. He hated it so much he finally outright refused to do it even at the cost of earning stickers towards the field trips to laser tag and movies that mean so much to him. The pain on his face at that moment made me realize there was something deeper going on and that perhaps we needed to take a break. For a solid month we only did fun things together, until he said he was ready to start again. That respite seemed to have given his mind and spirit enough breathing room to try again with math. Suddenly, he was flying through his multiplication tables, (mostly) willingly and with a much better attitude.
I think the old saying “less is more” is true when it comes to mentoring. Being willing to step back and take a deep breath, even when mentees are under so much pressure to catch up, can be more helpful than pushing through at any cost. And it’s so important not to underestimate the power of a sense of competence gained from visible achievements. Shortly after figuring out this math problem, Oscar said he’d learned from his mentoring time “to try my best and to not give up.” The mileage he gained getting the answer to a billion dollar question right was just what the doctor ordered for him to experientially know he has what it takes to learn math, and that perseverance brings rewards.