Time for You

By Maria Murphy

Mentoring is wonderful work.  I admit I love the rush I get when I have connected with a kid and start to see some progress, not only academically, but also in their trust.  It is quite a feeling.  But what about, us, the mentors?  We are so good at tending to the kids we work with, but how about tending to ourselves?  What can we do to keep burnout at bay?  And how do we show the kids we work with how to take care of themselves?  We demonstrate it by letting them watch us.

Pacing

Rome wasn’t built in a day and our kids will have big changes, small changes, even setbacks.  Reminding ourselves to watch our pacing, remembering that being there for the long haul is the most important factor will help.

No, no, no

Just like with our own kids, saying “no” is sometimes the answer.  Maybe it is because we can’t do something or just because we don’t want to.  Its okay and its okay to say no.  Most of us can turn down our kids, but that can be harder to do with the students we work with.  When we say no to the things we really aren’t able to do, we demonstrate honesty and we set realistic limits. 

Talk about your passions

Its okay to tell your student you went sailing over the weekend or you made an unbelievable pie.  When kids see us passionate about things, we are modeling the idea of connecting with the world.  And we are reminding ourselves to mind our passions.  They are what make us tick and what make us unique.

Me first

Put yourself first at least once a day.  We want to show altruism, but we also want to be able to tend to and respect ourselves.  When we prioritize ourselves daily as a habit, we build it into our belief systems and we show the kids we work with the importance of taking care of ourselves.

Have a great month and remember to believe in the value of your every contribution.

Read more tools and tips for mentoring at Maria's website, Simply Put Together.