Magic Mix of Mentorship
- Brooke Boyd
- May 19, 2016
- 3 min read
Professional Development Resource for May 19, 2016
Serio, T. (2016). The Magic Mix of Mentorship That Worked for Me. Vitae. Retrieved May 19, 2016, from https://chroniclevitae.com/news/1384-the-magic-mix-of-mentorship-that-worked-for-me
Reflection Questions
What is your professional growth reason for selecting this session or article?
Growth of Advising and Supporting (A/S) professional competency area:
Mentor students and colleagues
Appropriately challenge and support students and colleagues
Strategically and simultaneously pursue multiple objectives in conversations with students
I enjoy mentoring students, and this article provided a practitioner’s perspective to facilitating that role successfully.
What compelling ideas or new information did you hear or learn? How can you use this information to impact practice and/or student learning?
The author wrote as both a student and a professional. The lessons she learned from her mentors included:
“They encouraged me to compete only with myself.” This connects to my belief that college provides students with an opportunity to learn about persistence and grit. You can only do what you can do, and you must do that well.
“They gave me some space.” Her mentor gave her the space to make mistakes, despite knowing that they were being made. She acted as a guide to the path she inherently knew would provide the student with the greatest chance for personal happiness. We are guides, not directors of students’ lives.
“They allowed me to voice my opinions safely.” Treat students like adults who are capable of making their own decisions. Encourage them to be able to think out loud and ask them questions that will help focus ideas and dreams.
“They pushed me to do more.” Give students your full attention and let them know that you are available when needed. Be an advocate for students to think bigger than their original ideas and not allow them to accept the limitations they perceive in themselves. Focus on growth mindset.
“They didn’t just mentor students.” They were invested in the student’s success and their quality of life. It can be worth the extra time we give to students to counsel them through situations that are not academic or co-curricular. Student affairs is about holistic development, right? Student appreciate professionals who take the time to listen and care.
Is there anything you heard or learned that you disagree with?
I believe that the development and learning preferences of this author might influence some of her opinions about mentoring. I can make connections between the information and my philosophies of practice, but I also believe that some students respond to other methods of mentorship. For example, a non-traditional student might appreciate a more straight-forward response because they have a scholarship from a company that laid them off and have an academic timeline to follow. I think this calls for an assessment of the individual needs of the student in order to respond appropriately.
What questions were raised from this professional development that require further exploration?
Which student development and learning theories would best support these ideas?
How have my mentors exhibited these qualities?
How have I used these characteristics with whom I mentor?
Additional Reflection
Many of these lessons were incorporated into the college success courses I have taught in the CSP department. I think that the strategies incorporated into The Four Temperaments is a great start to supporting mentorship with theory. By understanding what influences a student, you can learn how to better communicate with them in a way that ensures being heard. It’s the same with leadership, teaching, and learning styles that are included in this theory. This is a theory to help be a leader, which I believe is vital to successful mentor relationships.
My own mentors each have a different perspective to provide me, and I like getting diverse answers to issues. Some of them give more direct answers, and some of them listen and provide support. All of them, however, encourage me to figure out my own style and methods of building relationships with students.
For those whom I mentor, I feel like I tend to ask a lot of questions and provide stories about my own experiences when necessary. I try to support their decisions and have them think about the perspective of others. How can they communicate their needs more effectively to those around them? How can they be proactive about their goals? I tend to use a lot of reality counseling theory.
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