Just 15 Minutes a Month Can Make a Difference
Retired educator? Still have some great ideas and tips in your “bag of tricks?” Have time for a call or e-mail now and then? Then you need to consider signing up to be a mentor to a college education major. The IEA Retired/Student Mentoring Program matches retired educators and students with similar interests and academic areas for the purpose of communication and support of the college student. Phone, e-mail, or face-to-face conversations allow for a non-evaluative experienced educator to talk, share, and encourage someone just starting out in teaching. It gives the college student a safe place to vent frustrations, bounce off ideas, and ask for advice. Contacts are made as often or seldom as needed or desired.
Mentors and Mentees stay in touch:
- To say Hi
- To ask for advice and ideas about projects, papers, difficult students, teaching experiences and responsibilities, NEA and unions, contracts, resume ideas
- Share successes and frustrations
- Change of contact information
- Personal frustrations
- Happy times
YOU, AS A MENTOR, ARE A SAFE PERSON WITH WHOM TO VENT AND BOUNCE IDEAS OFF – you don’t pay their bills, give them grades, or have an emotional attachment.
Contact is mostly by e-mail or phone, but some have face-to-face meetings if close enough and if desired.
As a mentor, you get monthly emails from the Mentor Program with suggestions and website links to share with your mentee. Your monthly email is a gentle reminder to get back in touch with your mentee if you haven’t heard from her/him in awhile. The Mentor Program makes it a priority to assist and support the mentor/mentee relationship and is available to help whenever a question or problem arises.
To open the line of communication with your mentee, you might want to ask a question or two, such as:
- What classes are you taking this semester?
- Do you have any clinical experiences this semester?
- Are you in need of a few more “tricks in your bag” for a student or class with whom you are working?
- Is there a big project coming up in one of your education classes and your mind is blank?
You might also want to share with them a good teacher website or a teacher resource you especially like.
Contact me today for more information on how to become a mentor. WE REALLY NEED YOU!
- Tim Brinker 630-779-1773