30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 6

Day 6: Explain: What does a good mentor "do?"

This depends on the perspective from which it is asked. If I am considering this question about my formal mentor, or a teacher-mentor; then all I don't know, as I've never been a formal mentor before. As a sort of informal mentor, I would aspire to be much like my friend who pulled me into education: Clint Heitz. He never hesitated to come to my aid when I was a substitute teacher searching for help on lesson plans. He worked with me to help me become (relatively) tech savvy. We have had many long hours of inspired collaboration,  sometimes on specific topics, sometimes just about education in general. He has always helped any of his colleagues, regardless of his own level of busyness, if they but asked: often dropping what he was doing to respond immediately. As far as mentors go, his is a good example to follow.

If I consider myself a good mentor for my students, then I must answer that I have to lead by example. Modeling good behavior, excitement for school, passion for learning, empathy, happiness; these are all things I try to "do" as good mentor. It is essential that I show these things if I expect them from my students. It can be difficult to transition from one class to another, and to regain my equilibrium from an unruly, frustrating, or confusing student.

Luckily, in my work as an Academic Interventionist, I am privileged to work with far fewer students than in a normal classroom; often I am one-on-one with my students. However, the stakes are higher with these students: a slip-up sets me back farther for longer in my current position. However, demonstrating the above attributes can have a far larger and more lasting impact on these students as well--showing them I care, and convincing of that truth can take longer, but is far more important to students who may have trust issues with people in authority; and thus can be far more rewarding.

Essentially, being an Academic Interventionist is a high-risk, high reward position; it's just that I can't fail, because that means I will be failing someone who needs my success as much as anyone can. And while not failing is an unrealistic and unlikely expectation, I feel it is a perfectly reasonable goal to reach for.