The Final Word!

I am not sure if we were supposed to have a wrap up blog based on a total view of the mentoring process based on the questions that were on th eImet webstite along with the mentoring process forms. In the last post I discussed the final meeting and my mentee's repsonses. This post will be a final wrap up based on this post in the Imet webpage:

Answers to the Following Mentor Questions:

What challenges occurred in the process?

What successes occurred in the process?

What did you learn about the mentoring process?

What did you learn about yourself in the role of mentor.

Did your style of mentoring change over the course of the project?

Did you feel mentoring was worthwhile?

How would you have done things differently?

How did you feel you did overall in the relationship?








-----Challenges and successes abounded in this process. I feel I got a man who for all practical puroposes does not like technology that much or thinks that it is to hard for him or it takes to long to learn things to actually feel good about learning some new things on the computer. The letdowns came in the process of finding time, with our busy schedulesit was hard to find time to sit down for an hour. Another thing that was a struggle is that I tend to get impatient when I think that people are timid with things that they should't be. I know that this is not a good mentor but I really had to work on it. I think at times my mentor felt this from me, which caused them to not focus on the learning but to just make me happy.

I just kind of answered the next batch of questions I learned that the learing curve of a mentee is whatever it is going to be. I have to allow that process to happen. I am there to be encouraging and guide and reflect, not to push the learing curve to fit my expectations. In the final response I really think that my mentee liked the process and embraced his learing with my guidence. What I just described above was what was happening to me mentally. I think I for the most part worked with Jay well because he reponded that I did not make him feel uncomfortable like I have in the past when I have worked with him.

I would only change one thing and that is be more proactive of setting up a schedule and being committed on both ends about keeping that schedule. Jay and I worked well together. We have known each other as peers and friends for a long time and Jay has come to me many times for technology help. It was nice to work as peers to reach a learing goal.

I would like to wrap up this blog by stating that this was one of my favorite assignments. It actually gave me a chance to work with technology in a manner that I feel that I persued this degree for. I look forward to partially running a professional development program with leadership on my campus next year and this was a good test drive for that upcomming event.