All mentors are educators

Mentoring is a collaborative, "real-life" educational experience. Regular contact with a caring adult can help at-risk students develop good social skills. It also helps them to improve performance in school and boost self-esteem. For example, a recent study of students in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters mentoring program found that students who met with their mentor over one year were 46% less likely to use illegal drugs, 52% less likely to skip school, and 33% less likely to get into fights. They also had greater confidence in their academic achievement, better family and peer relationships, and increased access to cultural and educational services.

Define your goals

Assess the needs of your students and decide which ones you want your mentoring program to serve. Mentoring programs can benefit all students but they are especially valuable to young people who may need extra support, such as female students, gifted students, students with learning disabilities or attention-deficit disorders, and economically disadvantaged students. Think about the young people you work with. Which of their needs do existing programs fail to address? Consider questions like these:

• What is your mentoring program's purpose?
  
  
• Which students will your program target? How will you select students to participate?
  
  
• Who will your mentors be? How will you recruit them?
  
  
• What will your role be? How will you organize the program?
  
  
• Where will you get funding?

If there is a similar mentoring program at a nearby school, talk with its coordinator. Think about the things you'll need to make your project successful. Then get ready to present your ideas!

Get organized!

To succeed, you'll need to build strong coalitions with parents, educators, local businesses, and other community members. Define your program's objectives, and make sure everyone-adult mentors, students, parents, and administrators-understands them. For example, you might invite local professionals to visit your classroom twice a month to talk about their careers and to work with individual students on related projects. Or, you might match at-risk students with other teachers in your school for an e-mail relationship and weekly "lunch dates." Once you've decided on the format and goals of your mentoring program, write an outline, a flier, or a statement of purpose that clearly describes the program. This description will come in handy when you're talking to others.

Finding good mentors

A successful mentoring program depends on effective adult mentors. Mentoring is a responsibility and a challenge, but it brings wonderful rewards. You can find dedicated, inspired, willing mentors almost everywhere you look: parents, grandparents, coaches, neighbors, local businesspeople, and professionals. Many adults can be successful mentors, as long as they listen to young people and encourage them to develop their talents, make good decisions, and take responsibility for themselves. Good mentors:

• model positive social skills.
  
  
• encourage students to try new things and tackle new challenges.
  
  
• give constructive criticism and substantive praise.
  
  
• work together with their mentee to try new things.
  
  
• help students learn problem-solving skills.
  
  
• value teamwork, reliability, and commitment.
  
  
• take young people seriously.

There are many ways to recruit mentors. You can rely on word of mouth, post announcements in local workplaces or on your school's website, or ask for volunteers at parent meetings and other school events.
Before your mentors can begin to work with students, you'll need to train them to work with young people and to make sure they're familiar with your project's policies and practices. In the training sessions, present topics like:

• program goals.
  
  
• mentor roles and expectations.
  
  
• characteristics of the student population.
  
  
• effective communication skills.
  
  
• mentor support systems.

Encourage mentors to plan individual and group activities and to set their own goals for the students. Remember, mentoring is a cooperative project, and your program will belong to all of its participants.

Troubleshooting

Unfortunately, you'll need to plan for worst-case scenarios. Think about how you would handle difficult situations. For example:

• What would you do if a mentoring relationship weren't going well? Who would students and mentors turn to for help? Is there a plan for reassignment?
  
  
• Under what circumstances would you ask students or mentors to leave your program?
  
  
• What mentor screening and selection procedures will you employ to prevent abuse? Check state and local laws. You may need to request references, police background checks, or fingerprints.
  
  
• How does your school's insurance work? What kinds of activities will it cover? Will you need supplementary insurance for any reason?

With thoughtful planning, you can organize an adult mentoring program that your students and mentors will value and enjoy!

Sources

Casey, Kerry and Bruce M. Shore, "Mentors' Contributions to Gifted Adolescents' Affective, Social, and Vocational Development." Roeper Review 22, No. 4 (June 2000), 227-230.

Dortch, Thomas W., Jr. The Miracles of Mentoring: The Joy of Investing in Our Future. New York: Doubleday, 2000.

Edelman, Marian Wright. Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors. Boston: Beacon Press, 1999.

Evans, Thomas W. Mentors: Making a Difference in Our Public Schools. Princeton: Peterson's Guides, 1992.

Fashola, Slavin, Calderón, Durán, "Effective Programs for Latino Students in Elementary and Middle Schools." Prepared for the Hispanic Dropout Project, 1997.

4-H Council, Programs

Gibson, Neale, Carroll, Van Metre, "Mentoring in a School Environment."