Shaw Campus Mentors Explain The Strategies They Used to Succeed in their Mentoring

As a mentor, I became better at talking to each student individually and explaining to them the different concepts we learned. I found that many students were visual learners, so I changed my teaching style from speaking to them to actually showing them. As a person, I became more patient and steadfast. Some of the students, especially the younger ones, were a bit rambunctious and unwilling to participate in the activity. When dealing with these situations, I talked to them to get a feel of what the students wanted to do.

-Carolina

As a person, I have gained a greater understanding of why some children act a certain way and why other children act a different way. During class, I would ask the kids about outside of school and what they like to do in their free time. I loved asking them about their family life and their siblings. A lot of time I found out that their parents were important factors in shaping their personalities. Overall I've learned to be a better listener and adapt the way I approach different kids.

-Emily

I think this experience has allowed me to better interact with people of various age groups. This would include using language that is easier to understand or having patience when going through a lesson plan. In addition, because many students came from different backgrounds, this week has pushed me to learn more about other cultures.

I have learned how to better simplify explanations so that younger students can easily understand and grasp certain concepts. I think the experience has put me in touch with a variety of diverse backgrounds and has allowed me to gain exposure to the curriculum in other areas besides my own. However, I think I could improve by trying to engage more students and integrating them into the creative process.

-Grant

Through working with different mentors I have become a more assertive leader and a better listener. One week I had a team member that was more strong minded than many people I have worked with in the past, and it was very important for me to be patient and explain my reasoning for our team decisions. Of course when coming to a team decision, I would ask everyone on the team what they believed to make sure everyone's opinions was included. In the past I too very shy to tell people my ideas even when I strongly believed my idea was better. However, this week has taught me to be more vocal and now I am not afraid to speak my thoughts.

-Emily