“There are two broad types of mentoring relationships: formal and informal. Formal mentoring relationships are set up by an administrative unit or office in a company or organization, which solicits and recruits qualified individuals…provides training, and then helps to match each mentor with a person in need of mentoring. Informal mentoring occurs without the use of structured services. Informal mentoring arrangements can develop naturally...(and) develop on their own. In addition to these broad types, there are also peer, situational and supervisory mentoring relationships… (that) tend to fall under the categories of formal and informal relationships.” (Wikipedia)
Mentoring has a long and quite distinguished history in our nation, as it has found various ways in which to be both helpful and useful, especially in addressing certain special needs as well as more common needs. Here are a few examples:
A.
In our
country, being a teacher is looked upon as more than books and lectures. “Mentoring in education involves a relationship
between two people where the mentor plays a supportive and advisory role for
the student, the mentee. This relationship promotes ‘the development and growth
of the latter's skills and knowledge through the former's experience.’ Teacher
mentoring has also involved relating to students in ways that promote student
confidence, curiosity, creativeness, and human charity toward others.” Here is what one teacher has said about
mentoring and advocacy:
“When I think
of my “get out of bed” issues, I think about my core identity as a
teacher. Teaching is not just what I
do; it’s who I am. I am a teacher because I believe in social justice. I am a
teacher because I believe in relationships.
I am a teacher because I believe in voice. I am a teacher because I believe in
community.
“It is in
these core beliefs that my practice of passion lives. For me, my passion is
ensuring that students from low-income backgrounds achieve at high levels in a
joyful and creative community. My
teacher advocacy practice can be heard in the conversations I have with
colleagues at our data meetings about how we can better support our most
struggling students through better instruction.
It is practiced in a meeting I had with a principal about how the band
schedule design meant that my students missed 70 minutes of math a month. It lives in my unwavering belief that, given
the appropriate support, my students can and will (and have!) achieve at
exceptionally high levels–even when they’re hungry, even when they’re tired,
even when they’re stressed—and that their achievement can happen through
engaging, authentic experiences.
“Teacher
advocacy is the practice of what makes us come alive. It’s not ‘one more thing’ that we have to do;
it’s who we are and why we do what we do… what the world needs is people who
have come alive. What
education needs is educators who have come alive in their practice. What our students need is teachers who will
advocate for the issues that make them come alive. This is no small task. it’s important
work. It’s worthy work. It’s the work that keeps us alive.”
B.
Although they
differ in some respects, we have for a long time, praised the role
of coaches as advocates and mentors.
We have many examples of the character-building that has been
attributable to coaches over the years.
There are many stories of this from schools, colleges, universities, and
even from professional athletes. I have
chosen a famous coach to exemplify some of the important characteristics of
mentoring in coaching (with the help of an article on forbes.com by Karl Moore
and Devin Bigoness, Contributors).
“Leaders are
measured not just on what they achieve personally but also on what the people
they mentored go on to do as leaders in their own right. Sports provides many
examples, one of the best is Duke’s head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Below are a few tips and techniques that can
potentially help direct mentees grow and improve:
1. Give
your direct mentees small wins to prepare for the future
“Chris
Collins, one of Coach K’s assistant coaches and former players, has taken on
some roles…that will help him if/when he becomes a head coach. For example, at
half time of a basketball game, the head coach is normally interviewed by the
media about potential adjustments for the second half. However, in Duke’s case,
Collins is the coach that usually takes the interview rather than Coach K. This
allows Collins some additional camera time but more importantly it is preparing
him for the media attention that comes from being a head coach. Other examples
include letting an assistant coach handle the head coaching responsibilities. These
instances of delegation by Coach K… allow assistant coaches to achieve small
wins in their current role that can be strong lessons to learn for when they
have their own program.”
2. Have
the Mentor Discussions
“Coach K has
spent significant time individually with these (assistant) coaches to act as a
mentor to develop them as they grow in the profession. These development
conversations…allow Coach K to truly understand and establish relationships
with his assistant coaches…(they) are something that he is known for. Through
these deep relationships, he can mentor these individuals in their current
roles but also as they grow in the profession.
Former
Assistant Coach Tommy Amaker said ‘…Coach K always made sure all of us knew
where we stood in our progress and I always respected his honesty and his care.’
These mentoring sessions should also be part of an ongoing, regular
conversation throughout the year, rather than just taking place around formal
review or development planning sessions.”
3. Stay
connected with your team over time
“Many former
Duke…players have been quoted saying that they do not make a major life
decision without reaching out to Coach K…for advice. The mentoring
relationship does not end when one person moves on to a different job. Rather,
these strong relationships can go on for a lifetime. Tommy Amaker was just one
example of a player who has stayed closely connected with his ‘Coach’ from his
days as a player to an assistant coach to running his own program. Relationships are one of the
main ways we grow, stay connected and make progress in both our personal and
professional lives.”
C.
Rejuvenation
is a good word to describe the concept of apprenticeship.
The concept and practice of ‘learning a trade’ or profession through
apprenticeship was a staple of the way in which the knowledge, skills and even
‘secrets’ of a trade or profession were passed from one generation to another
during earlier centuries. A bit of
historical perspective may be useful at this point:
“The
system of apprenticeship first developed in the later Middle Ages and came to
be supervised by craft guilds and town governments. A master craftsman was
entitled to employ young people as an inexpensive form of labor in exchange for
providing food, lodging and formal training in the craft. Most apprentices were
males, but female apprentices were found in crafts such as seamstress, tailor,
cordwainer, baker and stationer. Apprentices usually began at ten to fifteen
years of age and would live in the master craftsman's household. Most
apprentices aspired to becoming master craftsmen themselves on completion of
their contract (usually a term of seven years), but some would spend time as a
journeyman and a significant proportion would never acquire their own workshop”
or become a Master craftsman. (Wikipedia article)
And now, we see something of a reversal of that system. In the past, it was the main way to become a craftsman or professional. In more modern times, vocational schools became the preferred method of training for trades, using colleges and universities for most other professions. But a distinct movement has occurred, starting in the 20th century and following into the 21st, of a need to train people in skills most needed in a particular vocation or area, with the bonus of learning while working and being paid a wage. Examples include auto mechanics/sales, particular areas of data technology/programming, and in older established areas like plumbing, carpentry, electricity – all requiring up-to-date techno skills. Apprenticing now even has a federal office in the Labor Department and various state agencies promoting (and even regulating) the apprenticeship system.
Mentoring and advocacy are built into many of these apprentice relationships, but the quality of relationships can vary depending on the teacher or master, or on the company involved in on-the-job-training. What we do know is modern-day apprenticeship is growing. Here’s a fact you may not know:
“The number of American apprentices has increased from 375,000 in 2014 to 500,000 in 2016, while the federal government intends to see 750,000 by 2019, particularly by expanding the apprenticeship model to include white-collar occupations such as information technology” (Wikipedia)
D. Mentoring is enshrined in many non-profit organizations that train and assign mentors to meet special needs (mostly of children). Excellent examples include: Big Brothers Big Sisters, Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose goal is “to help all children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with volunteer mentors.”
I have mentioned in another Blog posting (“Garrett’s Passport” – 7/19/2015) -- that my own brother is Garrett’s Big Brother. For around 13 years, my brother has complemented and supplemented Garrett’s single, hard-working mother’s efforts to: make sure homework is correctly done, to explore new interests (music, sports, self-defense program, socialization techniques, a myriad of new experiences (driving a speedboat, and planning a trip to Germany, for examples), trying new behaviors, etc. It requires a large investment to raise or to mentor a child to be all that he or she can be; to steer them in the right paths and ultimately to have them contribute something meaningful to life and to humanity.
I was privileged to join my brother for Garrett’s high school graduation and was thoroughly impressed with this fine young man who was looking forward to college and more new experiences. Let me provide a quote from one of his German language teachers in relation to his application for a German exchange program and as back-up to my own assessment:
“I am Garrett’s German teacher and one of the two teachers who helped Garrett enroll in the German American Partnership Program (GAAP) exchange program. When my German teacher colleague talked about a candidate who might earn a scholarship to go on the almost 4-week trip Garrett’s name was the first and only student discussed. He is a stellar example of a student who deserves this award. You will never find a more likeable, kind, considerate, polite, helpful student. Garrett stands out! He had his doubts about German when I had him in 7th and 8th grade. I now have Garrett in my honors Level 3 German class. Let me repeat: HONORS LEVEL 3! This is a huge leap! Garrett was a wonderful student and as committed to success as they come. He is a serious student and an ambassador for our country (emphasis mine).”
One of the learnings from this brief exploration of four examples of mentoring above is that mentoring can occur in varied settings involving different kinds of relationships. It is not necessarily formal in its manner or mode and may not always be recognized for what it is, such as in family relationships. But, most importantly: mentoring is at the heart of our human nature and our human need. It stands out as a common ground on which most of us might tread if we recognized the need and applied ourselves to the tasks involved.
And what is the need? The need for the gift of mentoring is world-wide and ocean-deep. It is difficult to name an area of life in which mentoring or advocacy or coaching or some form of personal support is not needed in some measure.
During the past decade, mentoring has proliferated as an intervention strategy for addressing the needs that young people have for adult support and guidance throughout their development. Currently, more than 5,000 mentoring programs serve an estimated three million youths in the United States. Funding and growth imperatives continue to fuel the expansion of programs as well as the diversification of mentoring approaches and applications.
“It appears that mentoring is… able to affect multiple domains of youth functioning simultaneously and to improve selected outcomes of policy interest (e.g., academic achievement test scores). From a developmental standpoint, benefits of participation in mentoring programs are apparent from early childhood to adolescence and thus not confined to a particular stage of development. Similarly, although programs typically have utilized adult volunteers and focused on cultivating one-to-one relationships, those that have engaged older peers as mentors or used group formats show comparable levels of effectiveness. Collectively, these findings point toward the flexibility and broad applicability of mentoring as an approach for supporting positive youth development.”
https://www.mentspot.com/?entry=mentor&src=ba3_so_best&ck=mentoring
Some interesting data for your consideration come from an in-depth article on mentoring at the following link. I highly recommend exploration of that essay in its entirety. https://www.legacyproject.org/guides/mentors.html
· Research shows children need 4-6 involved, caring
adults in their life to fully develop emotionally and socially. One of the
challenges today is that children receive too much peer socialization and not
enough contact with mature adults.
· Anthropologists William Kornblum and Terry Williams
followed 900 children in urban and rural poverty across the US, concluding that
"the most significant factor" determining whether teenagers would end
up on the corner or in a stable job was "the presence or absence of adult
mentors."
· Children need adults in their lives. And older adults
need children, too. Recent findings from the MacArthur Foundation study on
successful aging have indicated the two conditions most closely tied to
prolonged physical and mental well-being in later life are productive
engagement and strong social networks. When older adults volunteer in schools
and youth programs, they achieve both these goals.
· The most-requested form of help from older volunteers
is tutoring on a one-on-one basis, often in the area of reading skills. Older
adult mentors can also serve as surrogate grandparents for children.
· Above all, mentors can provide nurturing and support,
someone to talk to and who will listen. Mentees have repeatedly reported that
their favorite "activity" with their mentor is just being able to
talk with a caring adult who can offer them advice and help them with problems.
· the most effective mentors tend to be those that focus
on the mentee as a person and on building a relationship.
We are telling only part of the story if we do not at least mention adult need for mentoring. In so many ways, often related to skill development at work, at recreation, in meeting the challenges of socialization and obligations, or in areas left undeveloped or because of errors made in younger years, adults find that they need someone to help them achieve beyond their current level. To get somewhere in life, business, study, relationships or anything else, it's important to have guidance from a mentor.
Mentoring is a gift – one that brings goodness and enhancement to both mentor and mentee. For those afraid to jump into that role full-blown, a much-needed start would entail the giving of positive feedback to others. Try it – simply compliment people for who they are or what they do. You will see a certain glow appear. People rarely expect to receive the gift of recognition from others for being themselves or for just doing their jobs. So, why not take time to express gratitude, appreciation, approval, or encouragement to others when they least expect it? Try it – you’ll like it! (and our culture desperately needs it!).
Much more might be said, but perhaps the best conclusion is found on that link above.
“For mentoring programs to work and to make a difference over the long term, we need to develop a mentoring culture. Mentoring is a desire to inspire hope, to share success, to enrich your own life and the lives of those around you. It involves having a sense of responsibility for others and the world we are creating and passing that on to the generations that follow us. A mentoring culture is a culture of mutual support – which is really the definition of community.”
The best gift is the gift of oneself for others!
Have a
Christmas filled with the Joy of giving
and a
New Year filled with the rewards of mutual support!
