After reading the Calvin text I think that I fit the role of a student advocate best. This best aligns with my goals as a mentor and my leadership style because advocating for students means that you are there to encourage and help them without getting too close to becoming the "trusted friend" role which seems dangerous to me. I think mixing the closeness of the trusted friend role with that of the leadership helps us to be advocates rather than too unrelatable or too close to be respected.
The risks that come with the Student advocate role include crossing into friendship territory which could cause students to take you less seriously and/or dependency which would inhibit the student from growing and being able to make clear choices without help. Risks that weren't covered in the article could include things like overwhelming a student with information or ideas to the point that they don't participate or even being unable to connect to certain students.
As for what trait seem to be the most important in peer mentoring I think compassion, trust, and professionalism are the most important. This to me means being able to get students to talk to you and listening to them and respecting them no matter what they throw at you.
Hello Lindsay,
ReplyDeleteI like your title! I also really like how you worded your explanation about the dangerous line between friend and mentor. I usually have a hard time explaining it without sounding kind of cold and detached. I also really like the values you chose and they make so much sense all together tin the grand scheme of being peer mentor and mentee.
I do believe that it can be risky when wanting to be a friend and a peer mentor but you can still have that balance and be professional just can't be too involved in the mentees lives because then you have a big issue. Also compassion , trust and professionalism are definitely key traits for peer mentor because you need to love what you do and show passion for mentoring others. Also , students need to be able to look up for you and trust that you will be there whether that means showing up or always being there when a student needs you. Also respect is key for any type of relationship because if a student doesn't respect the mentor and vice versa then it is hard to establish any type of relationship or have a good foundation at all.
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