Reading A Mentor
Section I
When people hear that I’m a mentor, they often make the assumption that I had a really tough upbringing myself, which just isn’t the case. But I always use that misapprehension to make a point about the kids I mentor, that it’s the easiest thing in the world to jump to conclusions about them, too. Kids like that get put in a box so early in life that they often don’t have the strength to get out on their own. I guess that’s where a mentor comes in.
Section II
As I said, I had a supportive family and was lucky enough to go to a fantastic public school, but I did have a very close buddy that inspired me to become a mentor. When I was in elementary school, Reggie and I were inseparable, to the extent that people often mistook us for siblings. Reggie, however, came from a broken home, and as he moved into adolescence, he started getting wilder and more frustrated, angry. I didn’t know what to do, and could only watch helplessly as he got caught up in a life of drugs, violence and crime.
Section III
He died young, of course – crashed a stolen car while drunk. I was furious with him, at first, for the waste, for the mess he had made of his life. Later, I decided that, if it wasn’t suicide, it was something close. He didn’t want to live a long life, didn’t know how to. His father had abandoned him, his mother resented him for depriving her of the fun she thought she deserved, and there wasn’t one adult in his life to say to him, “Don’t despair. You are an important person.”
Section IV
That’s what a mentor’s for, essentially. I go to a community center in the Bronx twice a week and act as the alternative adult for a troubled teen. I’m not fooling myself – I can’t save these kids single-handedly, but I can make a difference in their lives. Gary – the guy in charge of the center – says that just seeing someone with a successful life, someone who holds down a job, could leave a strong impression. After all, it might be the first time they’ve seen such a creature.
Section V
Leroy is the kid I mentor at the moment. We’ve been hanging out for nearly a year now, and he’s finally starting to open up. His dad’s in jail and his mom works two jobs to keep a roof over his and his three sisters’ heads. We play cards or chess – I taught him and he’s already beating me half the time, so you can imagine how clever he is. He’s in trouble at school more often than not though, and tells me he gets bored there. I tell him to suck it up – not graduating will be a barrier to nearly everything he wants to do in life.
Section VI
When I first started mentoring, I was looking after a different kid called Kevin, but he stopped turning up at the center after a while, and Gary told me recently that he had been arrested for a series of car thefts. I was devastated, and I didn’t know why. Or maybe I did – he reminded me of someone from my past. They get under your skin, these kids, no matter how much you pretend they haven’t. So it’s best just to accept it, and be there to give them guidance for as long as they want you, which could well mean into adulthood and beyond.
What similarity does the writer have with the teenagers he mentors?
A.They had a difficult time growing up.
B. People tend to make assumptions about them.
C. They have a deep distrust of authority.
D. People have the wrong impression of them.
2. What kind of relationship did the writer have with Reggie?
A. They were best friends.
B. They were classmates.
C. They were half-brothers.
D. They were distant relatives
3. How does the writer feel about Reggie’s death?
A.He feels he could have prevented it.
B.He is angry that Reggie didn’t ask for his help.
C. He regrets that Reggie had nowhere to turn.
D.He resents the fact that Reggie was driven to suicide.
4. In Section IV, the writer suggests that many of the kids that are mentored
A. will go on to have successful careers.
B. only know adults with chaotic lives.
C. will never have a relationship with an adult.
D. will end up in trouble with law.
5. The writer is afraid that Leroy
A. will leave school with no qualifications.
B. will have the same fate as Reggie.
C. will start getting in trouble at school.
D. will follow in his father’s footsteps.
6. Who did Kevin remind the writer of?
A. Leroy
B. Gary
C. Reggie
D. himself
Complete the notes below. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the reading passage for each answer.
7. Reggie died in
8. A mentor’s job is to be the adult that tells a
9 Leroy and his
10. Mentors should be prepared to continue helping their young friends
Responses