Lynden High School Coordinator Report – November 2020
November is “Thank a Mentor” Month. Students were invited to write a note of Appreciation to their mentors. These notes were mailed to mentors and shared in an online slide show. Here are a few of the comments. “I appreciate my mentor because she makes time to see...
Students need you to EMPATHIZE with them.
As mentors, we have the opportunity to bring HOPE to students when we meet with them face to face. In one hour, we can bring HOPE to them when we remember these four basic needs and act on them... Students need you to HEAR them. Students need you to be OPEN with them....
Nooksack Valley Middle and High School, November 2020
Stories & snippets – We keep pressing on in the unknown territory that is 2020. Video/ZOOM is still the primary mode for connections. New matches are being made with a mix of creativity and adjustments. A new match began at the High School. The Mentor is a staff...
Students need you to be consistently PRESENT in their lives.
This week, we'll take a closer look at the third need...BEING PRESENT. We cannot ever underestimate the power of presence in a young person's life. For a variety of reasons, students today often feel alone (and are left alone). Even with the rise of social media and...
Mentor Equipping: Helping the Helper
“Even the Helpers Need Helping: Self-Care for Mentors” featuring guest speaker, Lindsay Anderson, Mental Health Counselor, Nooksack Valley Elementary Schools Why adult mindfulness and self-care are vital for us as we mentor youth How to notice the signs that we may be...
Students need you to HEAR them
In this month's Mentoring Minute, we're focusing on one need that we all have in common... HOPE. As mentors, we have the opportunity to bring HOPE to students when we meet with them face to face. In one hour, we can bring HOPE to them when we remember these four basic...
Ferndale High School – October 2020
Stories to share: Student cherishes time with his Mentor One week, a student could not make it to his regularly scheduled Zoom call with his mentor and wanted to reschedule. However, the mentor was not available until the following week. The student insisted that they...
Lynden Christian High School- October 2020
STORIES TO SHARE/ GENERAL UPDATE: I ended September/began October by reaching out to all of the students (about 40) who had expressed some interest in possibly having a mentor. As I anticipated the general response was no response, but about 15 students did reply!...
Lynden Middle School, October 2020
Program Update The month of September was rough in terms of mentoring at LMS. Kids were extremely hard to locate and communicate with at the beginning, which meant pairs were not meeting. On top of that, both students and mentors were having technology issues...
Nooksack Valley Middle and High School, October 2020
Stories & snippets – during this time of on-line, distance learning our primary mentoring contact has been virtual, through Zoom. Zoom allows for new ways of connecting and communicating. Following are comments I have heard during recent match sessions (most, but...
Lynden High School – September 2020
Stories to share: Sometimes what appear to be limitations and roadblocks can work out well in unexpected ways. “One of my mentors lives in Blaine, but has been coming to Lynden each week over the past 3 years to visit her student. She knew she would not be able to...
Tired of being tired?
Sometimes we just need a good story: “When I am having a hard time or a really stressful time, I get to go to my mentor and forget about all my problems, or even talk it through with them. Most of the time we play games or exchange surprise treats for each other. It...
Empathetic listening–listening for the purpose of understanding–is nothing short of magical.
"Everyone should have a chance to talk to someone without feeling judged." ~ Student "I can express myself because I know he cares." ~ Student “It’s nice to have someone to talk to who isn’t biased. He doesn’t have an ulterior motive. He’s really become a lifelong...
Empowering through Problem Solving
adapted from: Love and Logic Magic for Lasting Relationships Students Don't Need: someone to solve their problems for them anyone enabling(reinforcing) their weaknesses "Having mother nurse our wounds and beat up our bullies was fine when we were five, maybe even six...
Lynden Christian ready for mentoring
On September 18th about half of the LC High School students were introduced to the idea of having a BTO mentor. 45 of the students asked for more info 40 indicated interest in having a mentor 20 students were highly interested Most of those who are interested are...
The State of Young People during COVID
Here are some facts and stats to encourage you to consider how you can support students. The need is greater than ever. Published study by MENTOR of young people 13-18 across the country. “30% of young people have more often been feeling unhappy or depressed since...
October 2020 – Mentoring Minute
Stories to Share from Our BTO Community Mentor Coordinators: Life-long Friendships It’s wonderful to hear when mentors and students develop a life-long friendship, and I heard an update from one pair recently. This student and mentor met in middle school and stayed...
There is HOPE through the POWER of RELATIONSHIPS
Our youth... Anxiety or depression are at all-time highs Suicide among youth has risen to alarming levels 1 in 3 lack a close relationship with a caring adult Many struggle to see the value of school or planning for future careers Technology has propelled this...
Lynden Middle School – September 2020
BE THE ONE MENTORING PROGRAM Stories to Share Missing in Action Our school district started the school year with students in “remote learning.” One student in particular was “missing” from his classes as we started the year. Teachers and administrators could not get...
Lynden Christian High School- September 2020
STORIES TO SHARE/ GENERAL UPDATE: Mentees: On September 18th I was able to cycle through all the classrooms at the high school and formally introduce Be The One to the students. About half of the students had been signed out for the day, which initially worried me....
The Power of Relationships
This article was originally at https://www.mentoring.org/resource/the-power-of-relationships/ -- download the full report. The Power of Relationships: How and Why American Adults Step Up to Mentor the Nation’s Youth is the most comprehensive picture of what adults...
Ferndale High School – September 2020
Stories to share: There are many mixed emotions about remote learning this Fall. Some students are enjoying the newly-created structure that the online platforms provide and are finding success. Others are saying they learn better at school and are struggling to learn...
The Impact Of Covid-19 On Mentoring Programs And Relationships
Mentoring.org published the details of their findings on the impact COVID-19 is having on mentoring. Check it out for helpful insights in to your mentoring relationships. Impact of COVID-19 and How to Mentor during the COVID pandemic
Nooksack Valley Middle and High School, August – September 2020
2020 Fall start-up The 2020 school year start-up followed a summer of questions, anticipation, hopes, disappointment, shifting plans and possibilities. Some frequent questions were: When will we go back to school? Will we ever go back to school? Will it be live or...