Phun with Phonics

For the past two weeks, I've been meeting with a pretty cute fifth-grade boy named Tayshaun, who goes to Barack and Michelle Obama Service Learning Academy (somehow they got around the whole don't-name-shit-after-current-presidents rule).

I'm doing it through a program at my church, which is right across the street from the school. The program hooks up willing church members with kids to mentor. However, the mentoring solely involves having the kid read from a preselected book for half an hour. This kid, Tayshaun, is already a pretty good reader, so I'm basically just sitting next to him in the hall, following along as he reads his book.

I feel kind of useless. Aren't we supposed to have some kind of amazing Dead Poets Society bond or something? (Is that reference even accurate? I haven't seen that movie in a million.) Maybe not quite that, but, come on, something! Save the Last Dance? Dirty Dancing? Except without the leaping around and romance, and plus R.L. Stine and an 11-year-old?

Am I serving any kind of purpose by listening to this kid read for half an hour? He doesn't obviously hate it or anything. I also don't obviously hate going to the dentist, but it's not how I'd choose to spend my last hours on Earth or anything.

Hopefully this is good for something that I just haven't realized yet.