In "Mentors: They Simply Believe," Lasley (1996) argues that the crucial characteristic of mentors is the ability to communicate their belief that a person is capable of transcending present challenges and of accomplishing great things in the future.
I have been reflecting on the many informal mentors that I have had in my teaching career and I think that the best mentors have been those that encouraged me to rise to the challenge and keep the big picture in view.
Listening, asking open-ended questions – not giving an easy answer are all ways that respect the importance of the individual and what they bring to the table.
Mentorship is a “lean on me and I’ll lean on you” way of being. Being respectful of what you can learn from each other is a recipe for an awesome mentorship experience.
