For many students who struggle with a learning difficulty, school may be a challenge. However, some elementary and middle school students have found a way to cope with the challenge along with the help of a few Redwood mentors through the Eye To Eye program.
Seniors Annie Glenn-Schuster, Alex Anton, Ariana Millias, and Nick DiDonato, and freshman Mia Glenn-Schuster are among the few who participate in the program at Neil Cummins Elementary School.
Eye to Eye encourages learning-disabled students to use art as a positive outlet. During the program, students are mentored by other high school and college aged students that have encountered similar challenges.
Some learning conditions that program mentors and participants have been diagnosed with include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), dyslexia, and slow processing disorders.
Program coordinator Glenn-Schuster defined Eye To Eye as a mentoring movement for different types of thinkers.
“The kids get to talk about their strengths and weaknesses and make a bunch of art while hanging out with others their own age. They get to talk about their challenges,” Glenn-Schuster said.
Eye to Eye’s Neil Cummins Elementary chapter meets every Monday and is part of a larger national program that has 38 chapters and operates throughout the country.
Millias said she found that mentoring the younger students has also helped her learn more about her own condition.
“By being a mentor I can talk to different people about my struggles,” Millias said. “It’s nice to talk to kids who are younger because I can understand myself better.”
The program aims to give learning-challenged students an opportunity to explore their creativity, receive academic help, and build confidence regarding their respective learning condition.
“There are a lot of people walking around with learning disabilities, so if there’s someone in their class who doesn’t understand them, it really hurts to get teased,” Millias said. “Eye To Eye is a program where they’re not separated and they feel really included.”
While most mentors have some type of learning condition, the only qualification is to be in high school or college.
Eye To Eye is actively seeking mentors who wish to be part of the program.
