One of the true gifts of teaching is the opportunity to become a mentor. These students are so racing through the doors from entrance to exit of high school that there is barely time to learn their names let alone be certain you have had any impact with them. Mentoring is a way, at least for me, to slow the pace down a bit, grab a student off the treadmill and have some one-on-one time. I find that the most valuable part of mentoring is to connect the work they are doing in the classroom with the work that they are doing in thier life (a work of getting to know themself, working to see their image in the mirror, and do some serious dreaming about the future). Mentoring is a way of moving into this track WITH them. Read more