Mentorship and the 8th Graders

I have the privilege of greeting our 8th graders as they arrive to school each morning. I give them a few expectation reminders in our less than 5-second interaction. The expectation reminders consist of: "Be a positive leader, work hard, finish strong, and continue to be wonderful/awesome." Sometimes, I'll ask them about their grades, a recent athletic event, upcoming confirmation, or pending assignments and tests. With some of the students, I can hear their eyes roll when I greet them. Cannot say that I blame them. The good thing is that they all acknowledge my morning greeting. I expect nothing less because they are extremely polite and well-mannered.

Why do I do this? Because I genuinely care about my students and want them to all be positive leaders, work hard, finish strong, and continue to be wonderful/awesome. Also, the 8th graders don't realize they are setting an example for all the younger students. The younger students notice the 8th graders through their words and actions. I want them to set positive examples for the rest of the student body to emulate. If the 8th graders do set positive examples, they become mentors to the younger students.

We all need mentors, many mentors. Hate to think where I'd be without my mentors. Most of the time, our mentors have no idea they play this role in our lives. They just do the right things in their everyday lives and we learn from their expertise and examples. "The man of noble mind forms designs and stands firm in his nobility." Isaiah 32:8 That's how I view a mentor; standing firm in his or her nobility.

Our mentors change throughout our lives as we develop. Growing up, my mentors were mainly my parents, teachers, and coaches. Even though they helped shape my life and will forever be considered mentors, they are not necessarily my main mentors today. Our mentors change as we proceed in life and business. Tomorrow's mentors might be different than today's. But then again, some of my mentors have been the same for some time now.

I have many mentors and I'm thankful for the part they play in my life. Through their actions, time, guidance, and patience, these folks have helped me become the educational leader, more importantly, the person I have become. They each unknowingly mentor me in different areas of life. 

We have to keep in mind that we too are mentors to others. Just as my mentors really don't know they play this role in my life, we don't necessarily know who we mentor. This makes it even more important that we are positive leaders in our everyday lives. Our examples tell and show our story to those around us. We learn how to be from positive examples set by those who mentor us.

For our students their parents, teachers, and coaches are their main mentors. One day this will change, but for now we are their mentors and we need to be mindful of our role in their lives. It is up to us to show constant and positive leadership; to stand firm in our nobility. And, it is up to us to not make their lives easier, but to challenge them to work hard and be positive leaders themselves. When we are not setting high goals and expectations of our children/students, we are not being the mentors they need.

Our 8th graders will be leaving St. Ann on a high note. They are performing exceptionally well academically, near completion with confirmation preparation, have their high school plans set, and have helped to make St. Ann a better Catholic school. Even though we are excited that they are moving on to the next phase of their lives, they will be truly missed. For the final 7-weeks at St. Ann, we hope they continue to mentor our younger students and stand firm in their nobility.

God bless you,

Didier Aur, Principal

Previous Blog: https://didieraur.blogspot.com/2021/03/be-prepared.html