Issues and Aspects of Mentoring - Case Study Example

Mentoring From the olden times education is known for its significance in an individual's life. Even now in the modern era each and every individual knows the importance of education in the life. In other words education is described as the key to success in an individual's life. In this world if one has to prosper one must attain the best possible level of education that is available to him. However in achieving this level it is necessary for an individual to understand and use his skills perfectly. But nowadays individuals are having problems while trying to achieve education. Thus to overcome the problems faced by the individuals many solutions are derived. In order to attain good results one has to know what he is writing and has to understand the problems that he is facing while studying. It is necessary for an individual to make up his base so that he doesn't encounter any problems in the future. And in the present world individuals are facing a lot of difficulties while developing their base. Here only the mentors come in between and play an important role. Mentors help in developing the base of individuals and help them in their studies. Mentoring can be described as a mean of developing and nurturing of the individual. This tool can be devised as special programs or just a daily routine. The individuals who are being mentored examine and discover further techniques to improve their base. After analyzing the problems they are having the protgs can ask questions from their mentors. And mentors are the individuals who further help the protgs in achieving their aims. As John Crosby describes mentoring in his words like this "Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction." The role of mentors in this society is of great importance and to analyze the role of mentors in this society I undertook an investigation which would further clarify the concepts of mentoring in this society. I decided to mentor a girl who was having difficulties while conversing in English Language. Not only did the child lack behind in social events but also in the participation in the class. Seeing this situation her parents were tempted to ask me to mentor her towards the path of success. Mentoring her in the starting was hard for me as I had to cope up with time she required. But as we got of with the mentoring sessions I was able to give her the required time. Because the origin of the student was of Turkey, it was hard for her to cope up with the English Language. The family of the student did not speak English and this was another factor which stopped her from understanding proper English. I myself belonging to Turkey thought that it would be easier for me to mentor this student as my and her native language was the same. At the other hand the parents personally gave me an invitation to mentor the girl in a proper manner. This offer was happily accepted by me and I started mentoring the student. In order to understand the problems faced by the student I had to devise a proper plan which would help me to analyze the situation the child was in. In mentoring the student I needed to put up my time table in such a way that I would be able to give enough time to her. And thus after devising the plan I began to look for the problem the child was facing while studying. After having some sessions with the parents and the teachers of the mentee I analyzed the situation to find out that the girl was facing problems while studying English Language. This was probably because English was not her first language. The parents of the child did not speak in English in their own house and this was a negative factor for the child as she could not pick up the words of English easily. As the base of the child in speaking proper English did not develop through out her childhood it was of utmost importance that the issue be addressed properly. The communication gap between the parents and the mentee was an important factor in under developing the English Language skills of the mentee. However to further clarify that the mentee was facing a problem in English I visited the teachers of the mentee to find out that the mentee was quite ignorant in the class. The mentee did not respond to the questions asked by the teacher or even if she answered them the answers were awful. The mentee also wasn't that bright in the social activities which took place in the class. But analyzing only these factors could not conclude that the student was facing problems while understanding English, so to further clarify the problem I took a personality analysis of the student. I had several sessions organized with the parents of the mentee to find out that she was quite bright in all the activities that took place in the house. This led me to the conclusion that the mentee was facing problems while understanding, reading and writing English. As I myself was from Turkey by origin it was easier for me to communicate with the mentee. The communication gap between a mentor and his mentee plays an important role in developing the skills of the mentee. Thus to narrow the communication gap between me and my mentee I took strong measures to ensure a safe environment for her. I showed her that I know English and acted as I was her friend. The mentee showed great eagerness for learning English and developing her skills. This made my task of developing her skills easier as she herself was interested in improving her skills. I developed a strong relation ship with the mentee so that she does not feel uncomfortable while being with me. As I knew the child already it was quite easier for me to understand her problems and give a possible solution to her. After we developed a trust between each other I started mentoring her in a proper way. Different sessions were organized all over the week so that she could develop an understanding of the English Language. I tried conversing with her in English as often as possible and this factor played an important role in developing her understanding of English. At first I conversed with her in both the languages i.e. Turkish and English. But after she got used to the English language I tried using English more often. All the sessions which were organized with the mentee had a particular aim which was to be achieved. Reading classes were organized for her, in which she would read out an English book to me. After reading a session was organized in which she would make me understand the theme of the book. I tried combining entertainment with studies as I took the child to watch English movies. And after watching the movie I asked her to tell me about the movie. All these sessions helped me to properly train the mentee for future. However sessions with the mentee were not enough to evaluate her performance in life. Hence I organized sessions with her teachers and parents just to find out that there was a great improvement in the child's scope of studies. This encouraged me to mentor her more carefully and provide her with all the support she needed. However as I knew the parents personally I felt bounded to the mentoring classes of the child. At small intervals I was called by the parents and as I was bound to the parents I had to respond in a positive manner. However as the sessions went on with the mentee she showed a great enhancement in her performance. The time that was allocated by me to the mentee was decreased as she showed improvements in her results. The teachers gave a positive response about the mentee too. This showed that the approach I adopted while mentoring her was a good approach as the child achieved success in her studies. The individual mentored by me was of a Turkish origin and did not understand English so it was easier for me to mentor her as I myself also am of the Turkish origin. However if the mentee was of a different origin she would require a different mentor as I personally would not know her principles and language. For e.g. if the mentee is of an Indian origin it would be better if the mentor is of the same origin too. Because the culture of Turkey differs to the culture of India and so does the language. In making the mentee understand English properly it is necessary that the concepts of English are told to the mentee in the language they understand. For e.g. if they understand Arabic they should be taught about the basics of English in Arabic. Similarly if the mentees are facing difficulties while learning any other language, they should be mentored by people of their own origin. For e.g. an individual who wants to learn Arabic and belongs to an English origin should be mentored by an individual who has the same ethnicity and can properly make the mentee understand Arabic in his own language. This would help the mentor and mentee to be in a situation where both feel safe. They can interact with each other easily about the problems and their solutions. The communication gap can be narrowed if both understand one common language. The mentor should understand the culture of the mentee he is training as that would help him to know the proper technique in training him. The mentor should be aware of both the languages and should have proper control over the speaking, reading and writing of both the languages. Like in my case a proper schedule was devised to train the mentee, it would be better for the mentor to practice an informal schedule. This would provide both the mentor and mentee with a sense of comfort in the environment. In training an individual the work of the mentor can be divided by giving some work to other people who are good at the desired task. For e.g. a mentor who is good at writing Arabic may help the mentee to properly write it while the mentor who is good at explaining Arabic may help the mentee to understand it properly. This would divide the work between the mentors and would help them to ease their work load. This would also give a new environment to the mentee as he may get bored of being in the same environment again and again. Thus it would provide a safe environment to both the mentee and the mentor. Different programmes are being carried out by the mentors to evolve the best of the individuals who need help. To train the mentee the action programme which I devised was based on my principles and learning about mentoring. With the help of my skills I made the mentee understand the basic principles of English (in which she was having problems). I conversed with her using the medium of English Language which helped her to develop her skills of understanding the words of English. I devised a proper time table giving her the time she needed to understand the principles of English. Special lessons were designed for her to understand English properly. The help provided by me to the mentee for her homework proved to be of great help too as the mentee understood what the teacher required her to do. It taught her to follow the rules and the basic requirements of the question. At first the mentee was taught in two different languages but as she developed an understanding of English I taught her only using the English Language. As she developed an understanding of the language it was easier for her to comprehend with the questions she was asked. The action programme developed was quite successful in achieving its aim. It provided the mentee a platform of understanding the English Language. As she was encouraged by me to converse in English she developed a feeling of confidence which helped her to communicate with her class mates. This confidence also helped her to ask any kind of questions from the teachers. The programme helped the mentee to write English Language properly and immensely enhance her performance in the school. As the mentee understood the language properly she could put her own thoughts easily in the answers of the questions that were asked by the teacher. This programme helped the mentee to build a base for her future. Her sense of knowledge increased with the development of her understanding skills. This programme not only helped the mentee in the present situation but also prepared her for any problems that may come up in her life in the future. On the other hand the programme devised by me had flaws too. As I personally knew the parents of the mentee I was bound to give a positive response to them. Whenever they needed me or called me for the mentoring lessons I had to go. As I had other my routine developed it was hard for me to cope up with the extra time that the child required. But the overall response of the programme was positive as the mentee greatly flourished through it. Her success was the success of the mentoring programme. However the programme could be further improvised if other steps were or are taken. The mentoring lessons should carry on until the individual has a perfect sense of responsibility and understanding. If the mentoring lessons are stopped at this stage the mentee would suffer if she does not pay heed to the importance of learning. So for her to have a proper time for learning she must have proper training from the mentors. New techniques of mentoring should be practiced so that the mentee does not get bored with the old ones. The mentee should be encouraged to speak English in her home so that she develops fluency while talking. This would help the mentee to communicate with other friends at ease. The mentee should be given proper training by the mentor and if the mentor cannot provide the mentee with enough time, he should divide the work with another mentor. This would help the mentee to develop further skills as she would communicate with other people too. The teacher of the mentee should be encouraged to ask questions from her specifically so that the confidence level of the mentee increases. In order to provide an environment to the mentee where he can properly learn it is necessary that the mentoring techniques are used wisely. The process of mentoring should be analyzed after every session that takes place. Analyzing would help the mentor to understand if the mentee is able to understand the concepts or not. And after analyzing the performance of the mentee further actions can be taken by the mentor according to the requirements of the mentee. Mentoring can greatly influence the performance of one individual. It is necessary that the techniques used by the mentor are analyzed and then further worked on. Mentoring helps in developing the inner self of an individual. The mentors provide the mentee with such an environment where they can easily learn. Mentors pave a way for the individuals to understand and cope up with the difficulties they are having. Mentors guide their mentees through each and every problem. They not only advice the mentees but also make them implement different solutions of the problems. Mentoring helps individuals to develop a confidence in them which can be of a great help in the future prospect of the individuals. Nowadays the process of mentoring is adopted by many to achieve different goals. Mentoring can be used to give advice to people who are facing difficulties in doing business or for people who are disabled and cannot learn properly. Nowadays many individuals rely on their mentors to make them understand a single concept. Thus it is necessary for the mentors to develop a perfect programme for their mentees. This programme should be based on the successful schemes which were used by other mentors on their mentees. For e.g. if the programme devised by me was successful enough, then it would also be copied by other mentors who are mentoring individuals facing the same difficulties. However the mentoring lessons can be differed from that of the teacher's lessons. This is because mentors apply their daily life programmes in their mentoring sessions while the teachers teach their students about particular matters. Mentors help the mentees to understand and learn properly, while nowadays the teachers do not pay particular attention to one individual. Mentors provide their mentees with individual attention and care and while a teacher is designated for a whole class mentor is designated for one individual only. Nevertheless mentors and teachers have some similarities too. As both the mentors and the teachers work towards the betterment of different individuals. They both teach individuals in such a manner that they can understand. However there is a difference in the way they handle and deal with the individuals. It can be concluded that mentoring plays an important role in developing one's personality and the capability of using his wisdom. References MURRAY, M. (2001). Beyond the myths and magic of mentoring how to facilitate an effective mentoring process. The Jossey-Bass business & management series. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. CLUTTERBUCK, D., & MEGGINSON, D. (2005). Making coaching work: creating a coaching culture. London, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. PARSLOE, E. (1992). Coaching, mentoring, and assessing: a practical guide to developing competence. New York, Nichols Pub. Co. PARSLOE, E., & WRAY, M. J. (2001). Coaching and mentoring: practical methods to improve learning. London, Kogan Page. JOHNSON, W. B., & RIDLEY, C. R. (2004). The elements of mentoring. New York, Palgrave Macmillan. MILLER, A. (2002). Mentoring students & young people: a handbook of effective practice. London, UK, Kogan Page. REINARZ, A. G., & WHITE, E. R. (2001). Beyond teaching to mentoring. New directions for teaching and learning, no. 85. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Read More