“It is Better To Build Children than to Repair Men”

Mentors help our students become better members of their families, better friends, and better citizens. YOUR efforts are multiplied through students as they develop a spirit of service to others.

The Key to Effective Mentoring is to take a professional approach. This is a job of great responsibility and importance. You can help your student in academics, character development, and spirit of service.

Do you want to effectively mentor your student? Follow these steps:

Let your student know you: Share your life situation and experiences with him.

Develop familiarity: Move conversations toward more specific topics e.g. study habits, like and dislikes, future plans, etc.

Deepen friendship through academics: Work together to form good habits, such as using an assignment notebook and balancing TV and study time.

Make a greater impact: After you build a good friendship with your student, deal with more personal issues. Some good examples: Teach him to help more at home, to make friends with unpopular kids at school, or to sacrifice their own pleasure to help others have a good time.

HINT: There are an endless amount of personal attributes in which students need to improve…just like all of us.

Obstacles…….or Opportunities?

“There isn’t enough time to talk to my student about personal issues.”

We only have 60 minutes with the student each week. It is important that we consciously “break away” from academic tutoring for only10 minutes to talk with the student about personal matters. It is true those 10 minutes could be used in more academic tutoring, but how much is gained if Midtown turns loose 150 academic geniuses each year who have no instruction on how to be productive in the world?

“My student doesn’t want to open up to me.”

The age-old expression is that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. Are you pushing a mentoring relationship on him? All students WILL open up if given enough TIME. This requires patience, perseverance, and cheerfulness on your part every week.

“My student always forgets the personal goals we set. He’s not performing.”

It is a battle of wills; who is going to give up first, you or him? You are the adult. Be patient and encourage your student to remember his goals (maybe that should be a goal). Also, feel free to cut the number of goals; just because the All-Star sheet has five slots does not mean they all have to be filled. 

The best advice to lessen this problem, however, is to talk to the parent. Make sure they know on which goals you and the student are working. Encourage them to reinforce your goals at home. If there is a language barrier, tell them (through the student) to bring an adult translator to Midtown.

Students need a mentor because they must FIGHT against:

• Negative Peer Pressure
• Substance Abuse
• Bombardment by Negative Perceptions of Sex
• Poor Nutrition and Hygiene Habits
• Laziness in School Work and Chores
• Complacency with Current Situation
• Insert your own reason here

Final Thought:

“The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches but to reveal to him his own”

                                                                - Benjamin Disraeli, 19^th century British statesman