welcome June 24, 2002 Issue

Mentoring—with love

Jewel Simmons

WHAT KID WOULDN'T BENEFIT from positive rolemodels to help balance his or her life? For three years in high school, I had the opportunity to attend an excellent vocational program. Every two weeks, I spent my school days in commercial art class. The instructor, Mr. Smith, was a exceptional artist and teacher. He let us call him "Smittie."

He kept a radio behind his desk, and sometimes he'd turn it up if a Grateful Dead song came on, and dance a few crazy steps. To me this meant it's OK to be spontaneous and not take yourself too seriously, even if you're the one in charge. We all thought he was very cool, and found much to emulate in him.

Smittie taught us a lot, but I learned more than just how to apply art skills. Smittie was highly intuitive about people. Most of the students had family and behavioral problems, and worked after school. But he looked for good qualities in each of us, and helped us realize good in ourselves.

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June 24, 2002
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