Published: November 08, 2009 02:19 pm      

Sisters for an hour a week

Group hopes to expand

Catlettsburg — Autumn Fields had never played Scrabble before Wednesday.

Lucky she had her big sister to show her how.

Luckier still, her big sister is a college English instructor. Her name is Nicole Pramik.

Autumn, who is 10, laid down her tiles and looked up shyly at Pramik, who smiled back and said, “Good job.”

Those were welcome words to Autumn, who spends an hour a week with Pramik during school at Catlettsburg Elementary.

They’ve only known one another since May but already Autumn thinks of Pramik as a good friend, one she can depend on.

They spend their weekly hour reviewing schoolwork, playing games and talking things over, right there at school.

Pramik, who teaches English at Ashland Community and Technical College, met Autumn through the Big Brothers/Big Sisters school-based mentoring program. For some time she’d given thought to befriending and mentoring a young person, but her unpredictable teaching schedule made it difficult to block out the time she’d need for the organization’s community-based program.

Participants in that program typically spend at least a couple of hours at a time together during each visit, and can also interact by telephone and e-mail.

Being new to the program, Pramik was unsure just how far she was willing to go with it. The school-based program gave her a chance to get involved without the danger of making a commitment she wouldn’t be prepared to keep.

The aims of the school-based program are similar — to provide a child with an adult mentor who can help with schoolwork, have some fun and provide a willing ear. It takes an hour every week and all the visits happen at school, during school hours, said Erin Fannin, director of the Ashland Big Brothers/Big Sisters office.

Mentors aren’t expected to contact or meet with the children at other times. Some of them, however, find the relationship rewarding enough to expand their commitment and join the community-based program.

They are still getting to know each other, but already Autumn thinks of Pramik as a pal. “It’s awesome. I just like her — I like her as a friend,” she said shyly, between Scrabble turns.

She has two older sisters and two younger brothers at home, but Pramik is the friend that can help her with homework. And doing schoolwork with a friend makes things easier.

Autumn has shown improvement, especially in Kentucky history, said Susie Payne, her fourth-grade teacher. Payne attributes the improvement to the individual attention Pramik can provide.

The Ashland Big Brothers/Big Sisters office has only made a few school-based placements and would like to expand the program, Fannin said. Children waiting for mentors typically are from single-parent homes and generally aren’t problem kids, she said. Most are good students. “They could be kids with great potential but who need a person to talk to,” she said.

The organization likes to get local businesses interested. Often the businesses will allow employees to serve as mentors while they’re on the clock.

Under some circumstances college students can get credit for their mentoring activities.

For further inquiries about the program, Fannin can be reached at (606) 329-8799.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.