Retired teacher finds fulfillment in mentoring
Libby Bennett has been working with her lunch buddy Neiya since the beginning of the school year. Together they enjoy learning new things with activities such as cooking and singing.
As a retired elementary school teacher, Libby Bennett admits she feels most at home in the presence of young people.
“It’s hard for an old teacher not to be drawn to working with children somehow,” said Bennett, who taught grades two through eight in Rockingham County for more than 30 years before relocating to Lexington in 2011. She was looking for a new outlet for her passion when a neighbor told her about the Communities In Schools of Lexington/Davidson County mentor program.
“I was a good teacher and I felt like that was something I could give back. I think it helps you stay young to be around children,” she said. “It lifts my soul.”
Over the last eight months, Bennett has developed a bond with one child in particular – her lunch buddy, Neiya, a fourth grade student at Charles England Elementary School. Lately they’ve been working on telling the difference between centimeters and inches by drawing pictures of sea creatures.
“We do lots of fun, funny, artistic things,” said Neiya. “We share secrets and we sing.”
“She’s a great singer,” said Bennett before sending Neiya back to class with a hug one recent Tuesday afternoon. “I always try to incorporate some kind of instruction and a fun activity. We sing or we decorate cookies. We use jelly beans to talk about probability.”
Bennett said the only challenge she’s faced while working with Neiya, a child she jokingly describes as exceedingly respectful though easily distracted, is balancing her desire to teach with being the friend she knows Neiya needs.
“Sometimes I want to do the teaching thing rather than just sitting back and letting her reveal herself, but she’s just a delight, a lot of fun; she’s a wonderful young woman with a bright future ahead of her.”
Bennett, a self-described puzzle freak, avid knitter, and member of First Baptist Church in Lexington, said she would encourages anyone looking to volunteer their time to give mentoring a try – even if they don’t have a background in teaching like her.
“You see things differently when you walk through these doors,” Bennett said. “It’s easy to sit outside and criticize (the school system and students) but being here changes that. Working with children gives you the chance to see the world through new eyes. It’s easy to become jaded; this is very refreshing.”