The role of a mentor in the career of a young professional is very important. He or she becomes a personal advocate for the younger person. Today, many organizations have recognized the value of effective mentoring. Some mentorship programs even involve identifying older professionals who are more experienced than the young person. The mentoring relationship is often informal, so a mentor does not offer advice or ‘how-to’ advice. A mentor is someone who is willing to listen to a student’s challenges, but not tell them how to do things. This informal relationship is important for many reasons.
𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞, 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞.
Your mentee should be able to talk to other teachers in your field and provide feedback. In addition, a mentor should be able to help the student teacher develop a plan to improve his or her professional practice. However, it is vital for the mentor to be a good listener as well. If you do not know how to listen to a student, it’s a good idea to find a teacher who has gone through the same situation as you.
𝐈𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥, 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬.
Unlike the former, a mentor can’t give advice to a mentee who is not a professional in the field. A mentor needs to be a professional and trustworthy role model. He or she shouldn’t have a past with any scandals or other problems. A mentor needs to have a clear vision and a strong work ethic.
𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐰𝐨-𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭.
While you might not have the same exact goals as your mentee, you can use the relationship as a learning opportunity for both of you. In other words, a mentor’s role is to help the mentee develop a professional skill set. It’s not necessary for your mate to be a superstar or a top executive. A good mentor can provide guidance and encouragement for anyone, regardless of age.
𝐀 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥.
If you’re a new teacher, your mentor should provide guidance and support. He or she should be a role model and a resource for students who are beginning their career. A good mentor’s role is an important part of the school. If he or she is an effective teacher, you will be able to inspire the student with his or her knowledge.
𝐀 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬.
The mentor’s role is to guide the mentee in identifying and defining goals. The mentee should be able to tell his or her mentor about his or her own mistakes. He or she should encourage the mentedee to work hard. If he or she is unable to do so, the mentee should seek support from others in the profession.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤.
If the mentee does not show the necessary dedication to the relationship, then he or she should be avoided as a mentor. In this way, a mentee’s responsibilities will be better understood if he or she is not able to make mistakes. In a similar vein, a mentee must also not be able to let their mentor criticize them.
𝐀 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥.
It should be a role model for the student. The mentee should be willing to ask questions. The mentor should be ready to provide constructive criticism. The mentee should also be open to learning from other teachers. It should be clear to them that their teacher is a student and should be open to feedback. They should understand that they are your student, and should expect constructive criticism from you.
𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞.
As a result, you will need to give them constructive criticism and never underestimate their value. But be mindful that a mentor is not the one to make their mentee your “student.” The mentee’s perspective should be respected and their opinions and ideas must be respected. Its role is to develop a positive attitude in the MENTEE.
