Mentoring Spotlight: New Teacher Assistance Program Builds Bridge Between Middle and High School


High school students, Elida and Adilene, on the first day of the program
At LEAD Cameron, an innovative mentoring program is bridging the gap between middle and high school students—all under one roof. Thanks to their shared campus, LEAD Cameron Middle School and LEAD Academy High School have launched a groundbreaking teacher assistance program where high school students step into leadership roles, supporting teachers and mentoring younger students.
Not only are diverse learners at the middle school even better supported through this initiative, but the high school students involved are being mentored by the participating middle school teachers.
Kirsten Lindquist, intervention instructional manager, spearheads the new program at LEAD Cameron. The initiative stemmed from a conversation with a teacher who noted a need for increased support for diverse learners in science and social studies classrooms, since those subjects don’t typically receive the same in-class support as math or English language arts.
“This teacher’s care and compassion compelled me to find a solution within our building that didn’t require spending money on additional teachers and instead utilized the next generation of future educators,” said Lindquist.
The program’s success lies in its intentional design. Lindquist carefully selected six high school juniors and seniors to pair with six volunteer mentor teachers at the middle school level. These high school students, who share the same community background as their younger peers, bring unique insights and relatability to their roles.
“Our high schoolers have a wealth of knowledge about the communities in which our middle schoolers live, since those are their communities too,” Lindquist notes. This connection creates an authentic bridge between students and their mentors.
All four grades at Cameron are now being supported by high school students, The results have been transformative. Mentor teachers report numerous success stories and ways that the high school students are affecting the classroom environment:
- High school mentors actively support reading comprehension and partner with students on classwork
- Some mentors have gone above and beyond, bringing small treats to build connections with their students
- Bilingual students provide valuable translation services, helping bridge language barriers
- Students demonstrate initiative by identifying middle school peers who need extra support and prioritizing assistance
- High schoolers contribute to classroom management by helping with routine tasks and maintaining educational standards
The program creates multiple layers of benefit. Middle school students receive additional academic and social support, while high school students gain valuable leadership experience and exposure to teaching. Meanwhile, teachers report increased capacity to deliver rigorous instruction to all students.
“Teachers feel that they have more time and bandwidth to do what they already do best, which is provide a rigorous education to all students regardless of zip code,” said Lindquist.
But perhaps most exciting is the program’s potential long-term impact: inspiring a new generation of educators.
“I love the reality that these mentor teachers, who are already some of the most effective at Cameron, are influencing future educators,” reflected Lindquist. “Wouldn’t it be the best payoff from this program when these very students apply to teach in our LEAD schools once they graduate, citing being a teacher’s assistant as the catalyst that drove them to want to be teachers?”
As we celebrate National Mentoring Month, this innovative program demonstrates how schools can create meaningful mentoring opportunities that benefit all participants while strengthening the educational community as a whole. To read about another unique mentoring initiative at LEAD, click here.