Tis the season… 🎄 December is here!
This holiday season we’d like to take a minute to focus on words that we typically see or hear around this time of year. Words like joy, hope, peace, and light. We’d like to use these words to help us focus on (and celebrate) the impact that mentoring has had this year as we look forward to the start of the new year.
So, what do these words have to do with mentoring…and how can they help us celebrate its impact in 2020? Great questions!
Here’s what we want to do…
We want to share how one hour a week with a student can bring so much joy and hope and peace and even light into their lives (and ours). And, to do that, we’ll need your help! This month, we’d love to hear from you and share your stories.
As you think back on this year of mentoring, how did the time that you spent with your student help bring joy, hope, peace, or light?
If you have a specific story that you’d like to share or even just a general comment about how one of these words describes your experience as a mentor, please send them to us. We’d love to include them in this month’s Mentor Minute! (just reply to this email)
I’ll start with a story from my own experience as a mentor this year…
School has been a challenge for many students this year, including one that I mentor. The online learning format has been hard for him to keep up with and stay motivated. Like many other students, he fell behind in his work. He was missing assignments and losing hope that he’d be able to finish them all on time. Every week, I kept encouraging him to not give up and to keep working hard. But, even as he started slowly catching up, it seemed like it would be impossible for him to finish his classes. Then one day we were able to talk with his school counselor together, and found out that he actually had more time than he thought! I’ll never forget the look of relief on his face that day. He went from being discouraged and overwhelmed to being hopeful (even confident) that he could get all of his assignments done on time. As a mentor, it was so encouraging to me that I could help bring hope to my student that day!