essay mentors

• [email protected]

Discover the Expert Essay Writer You’ve Been Searching For!

Tutors with expertise in your subject area are ready to assist you with your assignment.

WRITE MY PAPER

How It Works

Once you have registered on the site, fill in your paper instructions and proceed to place an order.

To find out if your order is feasible, you can contact our friendly support team or writer directly via chat.

You can download your paper from your account after it has been delivered.

Why choose us

Assignment help available 24/7

Our intelligent and amiable support experts will assist you within 5 minutes or less. Our customer support service is accessible 24/7!

Satisfied Clients

Over 98% of our customers expressed satisfaction with the performance of our tutors and customer support. We are dedicated to achieving excellence and meeting deadlines.

Completely Free of Plagiarism

We exclusively offer original work. Your paper will be composed entirely of non-plagiarized content.

Timely Delivery

Rest assured, your order will be delivered promptly, strictly adhering to the specified deadline.

Professionals

We boast a large team of highly qualified and experienced tutors, each holding degrees in various fields of knowledge.

Top-notch writers

We take pride in collaborating with the finest writers hailing from leading universities in North America, the UK, and Australia.

Cost-effective

A writing service that aligns with your budget.

Confidentiality

We handle information with utmost discretion.

Distinctive

All of our services are entirely original.

Recent Papers

Subjects covered.

• Trigonometry
• Graphics Design
• Environmental Science
• Article Writing
• Website Design

Find the cost of your essay

SEE PRICES FROM OUR WRITERS

Client Testimonials

This page is having a slideshow that uses Javascript. Your browser either doesn't support Javascript or you have it turned off. To see this page as it is meant to appear please use a Javascript enabled browser.

1-on-1 Essay Mentoring

Work 1-on-1 with an ivy league mentor on your application essays.

Our Essay Development Plans give students the opportunity to work directly with an Ivy League mentor through live, 1-on-1 video sessions throughout the entire essay-writing process.

Sessions are scheduled at your convenience. Click here to learn more about our plans.

Our mentors are all students or graduates of Ivy League universities. They are selected through a rigorous application and interview process with a <10% acceptance rate , and are trained to help you brainstorm, outline, write, edit, and submit high-quality essays that will make you stand out.

Chat with Us!

Send us a message using the form below.

Essay Development Packages

Our 3 most popular packages are described below.

If these do not fit your needs, we are also more than happy to craft a customized plan for you.

Please contact us to learn more, or scroll down to read our FAQ.

1 Start-to-Finish Essay Development

Whom is it for.

Students who want tailored guidance on crafting 1-2 winning essay(s), e.g. a Common App personal statement.

What's included?

• 3 one-hour live video sessions with your editor
• Review of essays between sessions

You are paired with an expert Ivy League mentor who will help you brainstorm, outline, write, edit, and polish up your drafts.

By the 3rd session, you will have a final draft of 1-2 essays that can be used for multiple schools.

You can schedule these sessions at whatever times are most convenient for you.

2 10-Hour Mentorship Plan

Students who want a very involved mentor to guide them through the entire application process.

• 10 one-hour live video sessions with your editor

You are paired with an expert Ivy League mentor who will guide you through the entire application process and provide strategic admissions advice.

3 Unlimited Package

Students who want a very involved mentor to guide them through the entire application process for all of their schools.

• Unlimited live video sessions with your editor
• Unlimited free reviews of essays between sessions

Your mentor will be available for unlimited guidance and support during this process, in the form of live, 1-on-1 video conversations and/or essay reviews. Communications sent to your mentor will be replied to within 48 hours.

This program lasts from the date of signing through January 15th (inclusive).

All-Ivy Mentor Pool

Having been accepted to the world's top universities, our Essay Mentors have a uniquely valuable perspective on what it takes to excel in the increasingly competitive world of college admissions .

Here is a brief selection of some of our outstanding Essay Mentors: ( several more can be found here )

Jasmyne | Harvard

Double major in computer science and east asian studies.

When not staying up late to finish a problem set for one of her STEM classes, Jasmyne balances out her schedule with on-campus involvement in radio, musical theater, film, and cycling. During her free time, Jasmyne likes to explore the outdoors, bake, play guitar, and listen to audio dramas.

Ethan | Harvard

Double major in psychology and history of art & architecture.

When not working with students as an Essay Mentor, Ethan serves as a design editor for The Crimson , Harvard’s daily student newspaper, helps lead social impact leadership conferences through Youth Lead the Change, and works for a non-profit developing STEM curricula.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Please message us using the form above to describe what package you would like and any questions or comments that you had, and we will follow-up with you promptly via email.

Yes! We would love to connect with you face-to-face over Zoom to discuss your unique situation, and figure out how we can best assist you.

Click here to sign-up for a free 20-minute consultation with our Executive Team.

1. In order to pair you with the best mentor, we ask students to fill out a brief onboarding form. This gives you a chance to tell us about your background, academic interests, and a description of what you are hoping to get from your 1-on-1 mentoring.

2. We will then curate a list of mentors from our talented pool who best match your situation, background, and interests. Additionally, we take into consideration your desired meeting frequency as well as time zone compatibility.

3. We will then select the best mentor for you and send you their profile. You will have final approval regarding which mentor we pair you with.

You only need to pay for the first session up-front -- we want to make sure that you are completely satisfied with our services before committing to the remainder of your package.

All payments are handled through Stripe , an online payment processing platform that serves millions of small businesses around the world.

We accept debit and credit cards, as well as direct bank transfers.

Yes. We offer a discount for packages that include more sessions. Additionally, we are happy to offer an additional customer loyalty discount if you have previously used our Review My Essay service. Please message us to learn more.

College Essay Resources

For our friends and neighbors in issaquah.

Thanks to coronavirus, college essays matter more than ever.

With the challenges around standardized testing, many colleges have said they won’t be requiring, or even considering, SAT and ACT scores for the class of 2021. That means they’ll rely more on factors such as grades, recommendations…and essays.

We started Essay Mentors right here in Issaquah in 2012 and are excited to make these resources available to you.

Issaquah-based Essay Mentors is devoted to helping high school students write great college essays, become better writers, and discover who they are as young adults.

Our founder, Barak Rosenbloom, has led workshops to thousands of students and parents, as well as to college counselors, college admissions officers, and teachers around the country. He has helped over 400 high school students write great essays in our one-on-one personal mentoring program.

Free Zoom Workshops

Our Seven Secrets for a Great College Essay  workshop for students and parents (the same one we would have led in-person).

Sample college essays

The best collection of college essays online (all written by our students).

Online intro to essays

A 20-minute self-directed online introduction to college essays.

Our teen-tested online program, launching early June. 

Personal mentoring

Our 1-1 essay program for start-to-finish mentoring for all college essays.

Free Zoom workshop for students and parents

Seven secrets for a great college essay.

Writing an effective college essay is not the same as writing a school paper. It has a different audience, serves a different purpose, and has a different set of secrets for what works and doesn’t work.

We’ve led this workshop to thousands of students, parents, college counselors, and admissions officers. 

In this fun, interactive workshop you will discover:

What a great college essay is and isn't

You’ll know the fundamentals of a great essay, how to recognize one, and how to avoid the most common pitfalls that 80% of students make.

At least one topic idea for your essay

Those prompts are just starting points. You’ll leave with a customized topic idea that you can turn into a great essay.

A proven pathway to write your essay

Writing a great essay takes different skills and a different process than most of the writing you’ve done up till now.

Sample College Essays

College admissions officers want to read engaging, authentic short stories that show who the students are. Unfortunately, 80% of college essays aren’t even what they’re looking for.

Our students wrote these sample essays using our Write Like a Pro ™  process and they’re exactly what admissions officers love to read.

"I hit a boy with a bat in the second grade..."

I hit a boy with a bat in the second grade after he said “short girls can’t play baseball.” I saw red, and as my mom says, “When Audrey is seeing red, let her be.” Overcome with emotion and not thinking about consequences, I was too young to find a constructive way to deal with things that upset me. It would not be until my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years ago that I found a balance.

Alzheimer’s ran in the family, and knowing that it may only be a matter of years deeply rattled my mom. She read that jigsaw puzzles could delay the presence of the disease, so we began to puzzle together.

She puzzled because she had to. I puzzled because I wanted to.

For every puzzle, there is a strategy. First, find the edge pieces. This gives it a structure, a way to begin, a way to work from the outside in. From there, find a dominant color scheme or a section that appears easiest to tackle. Pull out all the pieces that fit this microcosm and complete a puzzle within the puzzle. Continue doing this—section by section—until you see a completed picture tied together by all the challenges you just tackled. Then, start over.

Within a year of casual puzzling, puzzles took on a new meaning. I went from doing them for fun to using them to reset. I saw red less and less.

My biggest puzzle, one that took over two years to tackle, is that of my sexuality. For the year before I came out to my parents, I was jumpy, testy. Obviously not at peace, I needed something to do to keep from bursting, so I did jigsaw puzzles once, twice, three times; I finished a puzzle, gave it a look, then ripped it apart to start over. I did it faster each time. Unaware of it then, every time I finished a puzzle, I got closer to putting together the pieces of how to deal with the component of myself that did not seem to fit—the gay part.

Life is full of situations that require some movement of the pieces to achieve something workable. Every day in Calculus, I stare at the page until I can find some way to begin the problem. I will try anything until I find the right edge pieces to work towards to the answers. In soccer, I play in the center of the field and my job is to be the brain. I see the second pass before the first is made and find a way to manipulate the players and the ball to get the outcome we want. My job is mentally exhausting, but every game it’s a new puzzle—and that’s why it’s fun.

I’m tiny, I’m gay, Calculus drives me insane, but puzzles reset me. They alleviate stress and bring understanding of my world and the world around me. Audrey is doing her puzzles, let her be.

Barak’s thoughts on this essay Audrey struggled for a couple of weeks to find her topic. Sometimes the little things you do can reveal the most about who you are. Andrea started in the early summer and spent countless hours over five months perfecting this essay. Good writing takes time.

"With a cup and a spoon you can do it all."

With a cup and a spoon you can do it all.

I was rafting on Idaho’s Snake River with my Boy Scout troop. I packed lightly. There was a saying I had on trips like this: the more experience I have, the less stuff I need. I would find a way to make do with what I had or didn’t have.

I thought that I had enough experience to pare my mess kit down to two items: a big plastic mug, and a cheap plastic spoon.

I didn’t bring a spoon.

I tried to bargain my way into a spoon, but it was futile. No one wants to give up their spoon. When you’re a hungry teenager a spoon is the most valuable thing you’ve got.

Boy Scouts is about learning through struggle. If you don’t have something, you suffer the consequences. You won’t forget it the next time.

I therefore did the only thing I could: I made a spoon out of duct tape. It was a terrible spoon, but it got food into my mouth all week. It was dirty and floppy, and crumbs would stick to the spots where the adhesive side of the tape was still showing. I was really proud of it.

Each time I used the spoon it got dirtier and dirtier. It couldn’t really be cleaned. It was so lacking in structure that it was more effective to drag food up the side of the mug than to use the bowl part of the spoon. Everyone was jealous. Not that I had to eat with the spoon, but just the idea of it.

In a way we were both jealous. I wanted their spoons and they wanted mine. Of course they only wanted the good parts. No one wants to sacrifice their reliable spoon, but everyone wants to be that guy who made his out of duct tape. Everyone could see the silver outside, only I could see the food particles still stuck in the crevices from breakfast.

The next summer my pursuit of adventure would take me to Chajul, Guatemala, where I would be far removed from my trivial spoon issues of the year before.

The first night at dinner my host family and I had stew as we crowded around a table clearly built for kindergarteners.

There weren’t enough spoons.

We were hungry and needed food. Everything that I knew told me that the spoons should be even more valuable here. But we didn’t argue over them, we just took turns. Was it unsanitary? Maybe, but it was life.

Whenever I look back at these two situations, I find myself considering the same question: which way was right? And to be honest, I still don’t have an answer. I never forgot my spoon again. But I don’t think that’s the point.

In scouts I was left to my own means, to make do and learn. In Guatemala they would never imagine this.

They just shared their spoons.

Barak’s thoughts on this essay The topic doesn’t matter. What you do with it, does. This is a simple story that captures the writer’s personality, intellect and voice. It’s a thoughtful meditation on values, culture, learning, and community written as simply as can be. It was one of only three essays read to the 650 students at Middlebury College’s freshmen orientation—that’s 0.5% of essays at a highly selective college.   

"I didn’t like Zach at first."

I didn’t like Zach at first. He broke my glasses in the fifth grade–slammed my head into a playhouse door. Little did I know, he would become one of my best friends.

Unlike most people, I’ve had the same best friends since elementary school; we would roam the playground and stay away from icky girls.

In high school, I moved on to new playgrounds. They weren’t necessarily equipped with a jungle gym. The Matthews Thriftway parking lot became our new home. Surprisingly, I’m okay with that.

We make sitting in a cramped car fun. The playful banter never seems to stop, and when you say something, you can almost guarantee that someone will try to poke fun at you.

“Let’s do something.” “What do you want to do?” “Oh, I don’t know.” “Well then why’d you ask … ” “Let’s go to a movie.” “NO.” “Okay well then you think of something to do.” “I can’t … ” “Let’s go to the carwash and roll the windows down.” “Shut up, I’m serious.”

After 10th grade, I started to hang out with the wrong people. The girls thought they were the prettiest and the guys thought they were the toughest. They didn’t take school seriously, more focused on partying and fun than their futures. Their carefree attitudes and overall “coolness” intrigued me. Drifting away from my real friends, I found a place with these new kids.

I knew I didn’t fit in with them nor did I want to, but I didn’t do anything about it.

I wasn’t a bad kid but it didn’t matter. I didn’t spend time with these people in school, but I hung out with them on the weekends. I became no better than them in the eyes of others.

After being grounded for the third time in six months, it hit me. It just wasn’t worth it. I wanted my friends back. I wanted my parents’ trust back. I had lost the freedom teenagers long for, and for what?

Although I was nervous, rebuilding the relationships with my real friends wasn’t difficult. They knew I was regretful – I should never have left them. They seemed happy I was back, never holding it against me.

I didn’t think I knew as much about my friends as I do. Zach hides his feelings in an attempt to not seem weak. Jack is somewhat of a “hopeless romantic” even though it’s not obvious. Stuart needs to be complimented due to his own insecurities. I sometimes take the playful jokes to heart. These aren’t flaws, it simply makes my friends and me who we are, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve argued in that parking lot. I learned it’s not so much what I do with my free time, but who I spend it with.

We plan to spend the night in the parking lot before we all go our separate ways. Kind of like one last hurrah, but by no means is this the end.

Barak’s thoughts on this essay

Of the thousands of essays I’ve helped students write, this is one of my top two all-time favorites.

It’s an essay about…nothing! The story, structure, and language are simple and straightforward; there’s nothing fancy here. It’s effective because he gives such a strong sense of what he’s like as a person: loyal, kind, thoughtful, responsible, and more. He had impressive accomplishments he could have written about, but those stories didn’t get to the core of who he is. He was accepted to every school he applied to, including his reach schools. 

Online introduction to college essays

(or… How Spencer Wrote a $145,000 College Essay )

Most students (and even many parents and English teachers) don’t have a clear idea of what colleges want in a college essay. In this 20-minute online activity, you’ll learn exactly what they’re looking for.

You’ll read three versions of the same student’s essay: the one he wrote on his own, the one he wrote in English class, and the one he wrote with Barak’s mentoring. He was accepted to all 11 colleges he applied to and was offered $145,000 in unsolicited scholarships.

(Some of you may recognize this guy as an IHS grad…he asked us to change his name.)

This is the same essay we read in the live Seven Secrets live workshop. It doesn’t replace the workshop but hits on some of the critical themes.  

Curating Mentor Texts That Inspire Student Writers

Mentor texts that reflect the breadth and depth of student experiences not only get students enthusiastic about writing but also help build a sense of belonging at school.

Writing is a complex process that encompasses everything from forming solid ideas to expressing them with creativity and coherence—as well as discovering new insights along the way. And whether your students are mastering the basics or looking to expand their writing abilities, mentor texts can be a useful, “show-don’t-tell” tool that helps them achieve their goals.

Traditionally, mentor texts are exemplary books or essays that you use to model good writing for students as they read, deconstruct, and analyze various facets of the works. These texts aren’t meant to just guide students to develop their vocabulary, sentence structure, and grammar—they also play an essential role in influencing students’ reading comprehension, critical thinking, and imagination . “When the content of learning about the structure of a narrative eventually fades in a student’s rearview mirror, what’s left is the thinking they gained,” writes Kara Douma , a supervisor of English language arts, describing the value of mentor texts.

To make sure the mentor texts in your classroom are engaging, up-to-date, and relevant to an increasingly diverse body of students across the nation, consider implementing a few of the strategies below as you curate your collection of mentor texts.

Broaden the Definition of Writing

Books, magazines, and essay collections aren’t the only places where you can find examples of good writing, as teachers have long known. Good writing exists in an abundance of formats, from songs and poems to comics. Aside from including a variety of formats, your go-to set of mentor texts should reflect a range of writing modes—such as narrative, informational, and opinion—and writing levels, from student work on up to polished texts by professional writers.

Content from genres such as comics and graphic novels is appealing to students since “the fusion of words with images supports literacy development in all learners,” writes Dan Ryder , a former teacher and education director at Mount Blue Campus in Farmington, Maine. Try looking for comics that have a strong narrative arc and let students talk about the texts in pairs or small groups. In Ryder’s high school classroom, students also learn how to create their own comics by interviewing people around them or collecting icons and objects from old magazines.

Teachers also tell us they have used song lyrics or poems to help guide student writing in their classrooms. High school English teacher Elizabeth Jorgensen, for example, uses exemplary poems written by young authors to help her students ease into writing their own. Jorgensen identifies contemporary poets through literary journals and poetry competitions, and she finds that her students relate to these poems more than those from the traditional canon because they allow students “to see themselves in poetry, to realize that they too can write successfully.”

And other educators, like high school English teacher Jori Krulder , have tapped into the ever-growing world of podcasts, letting students do research and present their findings in the form of a podcast instead of a traditional paper. Throughout this process, Krulder’s students listen to professional podcasts as mentor texts, and analyze them using questions such as, “What do the creators do at the beginning, at the end, and during transitions?” or “What is the main idea or insight that this podcast is illuminating?”

While learning the technological ropes can take some time, in the end her students “worked harder on the analysis and synthesis—and did far more thinking—than they would have done if I were the only audience,” Krulder writes.

Connecting to Student Experiences

While good writing takes a lot of practice, you want to send the message that it is within students’ reach by showing how young writers have been successful, so your students see they can learn a lot from their peers.

It’s intuitive to search for mentor texts in prestigious publications that feature established authors, but showing students texts by someone close to their age or writing experience can encourage them to “have greater confidence in their abilities to implement in their own writing the techniques that a peer used,” write Sean Thompson and Deborah K. Reed , researchers at the Iowa Reading Research Center. They suggest supplementing your lessons with works from student publications whenever possible, such as using exemplary poems produced by poetry club members—or you can use poems from student competitions, as Jorgensen does—or movie reviews from the school’s art and culture magazine.

If you haven’t already, begin building an archive of your students’ exemplary work, and let the writers know that their work will be shared—anonymously if preferred—with students in subsequent years. It’s likely that students will work on similar assignments from year to year, and it can be helpful to learn from the collective wisdom of previous peers. Having done this in her elementary classroom, writing teacher Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski explains at Two Writing Teachers that her students are able to “see a model that is closer to what they can approximate and the gap doesn’t feel as wide as it might when comparing their writing to a professional, published piece.”

Effective mentor texts inspire students to experiment with new writing techniques, structure, or plotlines, but they should also provide windows and mirrors—in the metaphor popularized by Rudine Sims Bishop —for students to see both themselves and their peers represented in the texts and their writers. Literacy consultant Stacey Schubitz recommends doing an audit of your mentor texts to ensure that you include books written about and by people from all walks of life, both in your community and around the world.

Realistic Expectations

To help students have realistic expectations of themselves as writers, it will help if your archive of mentor texts—by both students and more experienced writers—includes revisions, so they can see that those stellar essays didn’t start out as stellar. Another way to approach this, writes David Cutler , a history and journalism teacher, is to do your own quick writes for your assignments as students watch, so they can observe your writing process and the kinds of revisions you make even as you’re working on a first draft.

Students see “how I constantly refine my work, moving often between paragraphs to tweak structure and narrative flow. Meanwhile, I field questions about my thought process, such as why I have decided to tweak a clause or reconsider my syntax,” Cutler explains. And “to deter students from feeling deflated by my productivity,” he adds, “I remind them that I’ve had much longer to think about their assignment and that I’ve been teaching these skills for a dozen years.”

Another helpful way to encourage students to use mentor texts as models is to scaffold more advanced, jargon-rich texts, which may prompt students who are often frustrated by difficult vocabulary to “[give] up as soon as they come across an unfamiliar word,” writes former teacher Christina Gil . She recommends spending a few minutes going over any words that they might find discouraging, as well as being patient as students attempt to understand and implement the techniques they learn from mentor texts.

Mentor texts that reflect the breadth and depth of student experiences not only get students enthusiastic about writing but also help build a sense of belonging at school. The more students see themselves in what they're trying to emulate, the more engaged they will be as aspiring writers.

We use cookies to enhance our website for you. Proceed if you agree to this policy or learn more about it.

• Essay Database >
• Essay Examples >
• Essays Topics >
• Essay on Journey

Free Mentor Essay Example

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Journey , Perspective , Teaching , Life , Mentor , Tourism , Skills , Success

Published: 02/25/2020

ORDER PAPER LIKE THIS

In life, a mentor is one of the important people who serve as an objective advisor and confidant with who a mentee can be open to discuss various issues. It is worth noting that a mentor is not a molder but rather someone who inspire and serve as role model. In fact, a mentor is a source of experience and information from which a mentee can learn from. My life mentor came as part of my academic life, and we have always bonded and focused on something deeper. Education can be one of the difficult activities and it calls for crucial perspective and mentorship. My mentor is associated with academics and his life is one of a kind. In general perspective, the life of my mentor had a lot of impacts in my life. In fact, his life journey is an absolute role model and exemplary example that has become part of my life. The journey of my mentor was driven by a global vision. This is because he has tremendously become successful in life based on his view based on broader objectives and goals. In his day to day activities he was driven by his global vision. Perhaps, my mentor always asserted that a program is one of the absolute means in achieving life goals. My mentor became successful through his focus on leading from the front. The journey of my mentor was full of challenges both financial and social, but he was always willing to share his expertise, skills, and knowledge. The life journey of my mentor was full of demonstrations of positive attitude as well as positive aspects. There were occasions whereby life seemed to be difficult and success seemed unachievable. He could always focus on the importance of remaining positive in a life and he always builds a positive attitude towards life. My mentor has always succeeded in most of his activities, but what is behind his success is the personal interest in mentoring and the urge to make the world a better place for all people. My mentor life was a clear image of what good mentors should look like. He was compassionate, knowledgeable, and possessed good qualities of a trainer and a teacher. It is worth noting that mentoring is more of teaching that the art of changing someone’s life. He could communicate so easily, and this formed the basis of all educative sessions that we carried out. Mentorship entails growth among all the stakeholders. There are occasions whereby my mentor could take some advice from me. Such life is encouraging since he focused on growth and dynamic nature of life. Based in the life of my mentor, values and good network are some of the common characteristics. The essence of having good network with other people drives one towards success. On the society, my mentor is well known for his ability and reputation to help others and make them solve their problems. Setting of good example sets the centre stage of the entire mentoring skills and knowledge. Mentoring incorporates various activities, my mentor was a father of a family, but he always focused at solving the mentee problems rather than involving them in their problems. One of the crucial components of my mentor life journey is the issue of professionalism. He basically had professional skills, which include respect, personal courage, competence, integrity, as well as commitment. These qualities that he possessed during the mentoring process seemed to have been the pillar of his career as a mentor. My mentor is one of the important people in my life for various reasons. It is evident that he has actually impacted my life in various ways. Looking at my entire life, I attribute my success and strengths to him since he saw me through various aspects of life. In life we tend to underestimate the impacts of mentor, and this is why many people fail in life. My mentor is very important because he encouraged me in various occasions. There are many occasions that I feel too low, and in such occasions he encouraged me. In addition, my mentor is important because he helped me reduce the mistakes I make in life. The wisdom that I received from him helped me to prevent the mistakes that could not be avoided easily. I was weak in various issues, but through his mentorship I managed to eliminate my weaknesses. This is one of the difficult aspects of mentoring since it entails a lot of pruning off. Our friends will always tolerate our weakness, but a mentor will ensure that the weakness is eliminated. He is also important because he brought out my strength and ensured that i realize my potentials in life. It is through my mentor that I became truthful and honesty. Success in life is all about saying the truth and being honesty. There are various impacts that my mentor has caused in my life. Some of the impacts are associated to empowerment, support, expectations, boundaries, social competencies, time management, positive identity, as well as positive values. In gametal perspective, the life of my mentor is a clear perspective of a good mentor.

Cite this page

Share with friends using:

Removal Request

Finished papers: 2786

This paper is created by writer with

ID 272729576

If you want your paper to be:

Well-researched, fact-checked, and accurate

Original, fresh, based on current data

Eloquently written and immaculately formatted

275 words = 1 page double-spaced

Get your papers done by pros!

Other Pages

Encyclopedia biographies, confirmation term papers, irrigation term papers, anticipation term papers, precipitation term papers, powder term papers, antibody term papers, migrant term papers, doctorate term papers, footprint term papers, endorsement term papers, example of main issue topic article review, economic questions course work, research paper on protest movements in the arab world, good example of research paper on the culinary traditions from czechoslovakia, good example of modernizing copyright law essay, electro mechanical control systems essay example, generic drugs book reviews examples, hw5 essay samples, reforming workers compensation thesis examples, other essays examples 2, sample research paper on future of the internet, good essay about the constituition of the united states, good example of effect of video games on childrens and adolescents behavior argumentative essay, free essay on a dynamic system, good book review on should this student have been expelled, free case study on american apparel corporate image, all i really need to know i learned at home course work, good course work about adjectives and adverbs, treynor essays, tim allen essays, lanham essays, visicalc essays, tame essays, phone industry essays, the prisoner essays, premarital sex essays, organizational psychology essays, tariff barriers essays, food restaurants essays, vishnu essays, product lifecycle essays, sambia essays.

Password recovery email has been sent to [email protected]

Use your new password to log in

You are not register!

By clicking Register, you agree to our Terms of Service and that you have read our Privacy Policy .

Now you can download documents directly to your device!

Check your email! An email with your password has already been sent to you! Now you can download documents directly to your device.

or Use the QR code to Save this Paper to Your Phone

The sample is NOT original!

Short on a deadline?

Don't waste time. Get help with 11% off using code - GETWOWED

No, thanks! I'm fine with missing my deadline

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

What Efficient Mentorship Looks Like

• Adaira Landry
• Resa E. Lewiss

It doesn’t have to feel draining.

When we’re feeling drained, mentoring is one of the tasks that tends to fall by the wayside. But mentors don’t have to burn themselves out to be helpful and effective. This approach, called “fuel-efficient mentoring” by the authors, suggests how to be a mentor in an efficient manner that benefits mentees, growing their confidence and their network, but also conserves your energy. First, define boundaries and expectations, recognizing your own preferences; second, set a time budget that mentees can draw on; third, reconsider how you structure meetings with mentees and try group conversations; fourth, try virtual meetings; and finally, look for ways to turn other commitments, such as professional events, into mentoring opportunities.

The endless string of demanding tasks at work can leave us running on empty — deadlines, meetings, projects, and ongoing training modules all demanding our effort and limiting our time to refuel. As an energy-saving measure, we may cut corners.

• Adaira Landry , MD MEd, is an emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s hospital. She serves as a Cannon Society Advisor for Harvard Medical School and an Assistant Residency Director for the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency program. Find her on Twitter @AdairaLandryMD .
• Resa E. Lewiss , MD, is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Radiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Women’s Leadership Council of Brown University. She is the creator and host of the Visible Voices podcast, which amplifies voices and perspectives on health care, equity, and current trends. Find her on Twitter @ResaELewiss .

Partner Center

117 Mentorship Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best mentorship topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on mentorship, 📝 simple & easy mentorship essay titles, 🥇 interesting topics to write about mentorship.

• Coaching and Mentoring in Nursing In order to work effectively as a coach, it is necessary to address the risks of epidemics for each patient individually, depending on the patient’s everyday activities, health status, and lifestyle.
• Mentoring and Counseling The counselor together with the client use the experiences of the client that took place in the past and taking place in the present to address challenges that are present and those that might happen […] We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• Hershey’s HR Strategies and Mentoring The purpose of this paper will be that of determining the stages Hershey has to implement in revamping its performance administration framework to appeal to its more and more varied workers.
• The Concept of Mentoring The roles of a mentor create a positive learning process for the mentee. Thus, a mentee determines the success of the mentoring process.
• Proposal for Peer Mentoring Program Before the formal launch of the program, experts in peer mentorship will be invited to train all the department members and retirees willing to join the program.
• St. Augustine’s Principles Guiding Mentorship in Business The introduction chapter will contain all the necessary information to present the topic in detail, illustrate the specifics and terms of the project, the focus of the thesis, the context of the study, as well […]
• Roles of Nurse Preceptors and Mentors Their goal is to enhance the confidence and competence of the novice and new nurses to ensure they deliver high-standard care.
• Coaches and Mentors in Business The choice of a mentor by the organization limits the employee’s potential because the employee may not feel comfortable with that person and will be less able to cooperate.
• Research Justification: Mentoring as Performance Management Tool For instance, leaders in the business world have been on the frontline to identify emerging concepts from the fields of theology, education, and medicine to transform organizational performance.
• Mentorship Program for Nurses’ Job Confidence The number of nurses who struggle with confidence at the start of their career is great and this lack of self-assuredness can affect patient quality of care.”Unpreparedness of novice nurses during the process of transition […]
• Mentoring Program: Models of Coaching Practice The task of the mentor, in this case, is to direct the respective interests and goals of the mentee in the right direction for the former to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills.
• Creating Mentoring Program for Principals The author of the article reveals the importance of mentoring for principals and describes the process of creating and the effectiveness of a mentoring program in Kansas.
• Augustine’s Spiritual Mentoring and Manichaeism “The influence of Manichaeism on Augustine of Hippo as a Spiritual Mentor” is Christine McCann’s publication investigating the way Manichaeism doctrines affected Augustine’s spiritual mentoring.
• The Virtue of Mentorship at University Although Watson does not highlight the research question, it can be defined as the ways and impact of professors’ mentoring on the academic and personal success of students.
• Mentoring Youth: Trends and Tradition Considering the information provided in the text, the author’s primary research question concerns the fact what contemporary models of mentorship might be of relevance in the given environment and how these schemes could be implemented […]
• Effective Mentoring for Organizational Performance Enhancement The author’s thesis is that mentoring and coaching are influential and practical strategies to enhance organizational performance. Adeyemi posits that mentorship imparts immense benefits to the mentor, mentee, and the entity.
• Mentorship for Protégé Performance The article seeks to examine the validity of the hypothesis that proteges tend to emulate their mentors to a degree that allows estimating and quantifying the degree to which mentor fecundity determines protege fecundity.
• The Importance of Mentorship for Teachers Implications of this research include the necessity to restructure how teachers are prepared on a fundamental level and to introduce changes to the school system.
• Mentorship Concept in Teaching Profession The argument made by Petrovska et al.is based on the contrasting analysis of views and opinions that teachers have towards the mentoring process and states that “teacher’s work experience plays an important role regarding the […]
• Listening: The Core Skill for Effective Mentors The author notes that mentoring differs from management due to the central significance of altruism in the former, and the coach’s “need to learn to listen first”.
• The Concepts of Leadership and Mentoring When the five practices of the Kouzes and Posner model are applied to mentoring, a person is likely to become a valuable and effective leader.
• Mentorship and Its Impact on Business However, it is worth mentioning that the author does not address the opposing viewpoint in his study. The author did not describe a methodology that allowed him to collect the data, making it challenging to […]
• Mentoring and Goals Achievement “Mentoring can get you straight to your goal” is Milton Chang’s article highlighting the significance of mentorship in stimulating the achievement of career goals. A principal argument in the article is that mentees should enlist […]
• Promoting Christian Mentorship Using St. Augustine’s Teachings Also, it will look at how to employ business mentorship in improving certain aspects of the company to enhance the professional growth of the parties involved in the institution. The positive relationship that arises in […]
• Exemplary Formal Mentoring Programs in Top Performing Companies A key implication of the research is that it allowed for future debate on the importance of both mentorship and the approaches used to ensure effectiveness.
• Mentoring in Science and Engineering and Interpersonal Relationship Training An emerging research question from the article is the applicability of interpersonal training programs on mentors in other fields beyond science and engineering.
• Formal and Informal Mentoring Programs Davis’ publication compares the effectiveness of formal and informal coaching schemes by evaluating their quality, superiority of outcomes, and the associated functions.
• Mentoring Disciples and Leaders Using Christian-Based Model The author’s predominant theme is that mentorship is not optional if Christians intend to grow and the criticality of taking an interest in the progress of others.
• Coaching and Mentoring for Organizational Performance The main questions of the author include: What are the effects of coaching and mentoring in performance of a firm? The main implication of the research is the possible power of improving performance in the […]
• The Case for Women Mentoring Women Block and Tietjen-Smith analyzed their own experiences and many studies on females in the workplace in order to determine the influence of mentoring practices.
• “Interracial Mentorship Outcomes” by Leitner The main research question formulated for the study was whether the performance of mentees and the feedback provided by mentors in interracial mentoring dyads could improve as a result of decreasing negative affect and increasing […]
• The American College of Healthcare Executives Mentorship Program Ache is founded on the knowledge that the future of healthcare leadership and management lies in the new entrants and mid-careerists who need mentorship to navigate the changes and developments in healthcare.
• TED Talks in Coaching and Mentoring One of the most widespread tools used in terms of mentoring is the TED talks aimed at displaying one’s story or idea in order to provoke an inner response and desire to grow.
• Professional Mentoring in the Context of the Dnp Valid professional expertise was an integral component of my research, as it provided relevant insight into the nature of the issue and possible solutions.
• Leadership and Quality Nursing: A Mentorship Program Based on the conversation with the mentor, it is evident that the leader acknowledges participative theory of leadership by encouraging staff members to collectively pursue the activities and processes in the organization.
• Current Mentoring: Nurse Employee Orientation System From the case study, the current employee orientation system is devoid of nursing ethics as seen in the behaviour of the intern nurse towards a patient.
• Importance of Mentorship in Nursing A good mentor should be able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the learners and help them deal with their weaknesses.
• Mentoring Program Implementation for New Nurses Since the effectiveness of the program depends on a myriad of factors, I will evaluate and improve the program to ensure the hospital achieves the desired objectives.
• “Mentors and Criminal Achievement” by Morselli The researchers argue that in career field, the role of a mentor is evidently one of the most significant factors that drive the career of an individual.
• Coaching and Mentoring in the Company Objectives that are focused on the welfare of both the company and individual include the ability to carry out a specific task at the same time putting into consideration the personal and career growth development […]
• Mentoring and Coaching in Organization. It is also worth noting that employees who are frequently subjected to mentoring and sessions of coaching can do delicate tasks at the workplace. Furthermore, according to Lansberg, the perspectives of mentoring and coaching should […]
• Mentoring Model in Educational Process The relationship between the learner and the teacher is one of the most essential factors affecting the outcome of education and in the modern learning environment, the development of a cordial and effective relation between […]
• Mentoring and Coaching in Management The only problem that needs solution according to the solicitors of Barton Legal Services is that the employees of the company are rather conservative selecting their working methods and that the solicitors themselves are suspicious […]
• General Mobiles: Need for Extensive Mentoring Program As the company recognizes the importance of mentoring in the firm as the service of a professional mentor with all the potential to solve the problem in the firm would the best expectable solution to […]
• Marketing Mentor Framing Strategies That is the perception and attitude of the people is the primary factor that determines the success of a business and marketing strategy.
• Why International Mentors Are Hard to Find in Universities Guiding students towards a better sense of understanding within their university life, from academics to extracurricular activities, is one of the primary goals of mentors, made pertinent by the rising numbers of international students.
• Nursing Mentorship and Continuing Education Therefore, the claim that educators should develop a vision of promoting continual education in the hospital is absolutely valid. However, besides that, the committee at the workplace may need to engage in more culture creating […]
• Nurse Retention & Mentorship: Translational Research The problem is nursing retention, the intervention is a mentorship program, the comparison is no mentorship, and the expected outcome is the increased retention rate.
• The Summer Undergraduate Mentorship Program I hope to observe and participate in a variety of activities, focusing on the development of my professional skills. I do hope to become a part of this program and use all of the opportunities […]
• Mentorship in Career: Research Design Questions Why do you want to be a leader and a mentor? Do you believe you have what it takes to be a successful leader and a mentor?
• Peer-Mentorship and Self-Management of Pain Thus, the results of the study will remain homogenous. To make sure that the outcomes of the study should remain objective, it will be necessary to provide every participant with an equal choice to be […]
• Mentoring and Coaching Experience The protege is the person with less experience in the relevant field while the mentor is the person with considerable knowledge and experience.
• Teacher Mentoring and Retention Study Analysis Accordingly, the author indicates in the study that the goal of both the school and the school district was with the intention of ensuring that teachers in their first and second years of study were […]
• Mentoring for Nursing Students, Its Stages and History Judging the quality of a student’s practice turns out to be a relevant component of preparing future specialists since the mentor’s evaluation of the practitioner’s progress allows educational establishments to take a more objective approach […]
• Female Managers Careers: Effectiveness of Mentoring In this context, it is important to analyse the effectiveness of mentoring in advancing the careers of female managers with reference to the work of Ehrich and Durbin among others.
• Mentoring Program for Girls in Southern Maryland The problem is that the society is blind to the fact that women are in a disadvantaged position. According to Kaufman and Williams, the biggest challenge that we have in our modern society when empowering […]
• College Student Mentoring and Interest Group To solve the problem of the lack of mentoring in many community colleges of the United States, the national government should guarantee that all community colleges in the country are obligated by a decree to […]
• Mentoring Revisited: An Organizational Behavior Construct To this extent, a research problem helps in the generation of the study questions to be answered. However, the non-inclusion of the hypothesis in the article cannot be argued as a demerit of the research.
• Coaching and Mentoring in Executive Leadership Moreover, it supports the view that coaching and mentoring are effective tools to build leadership qualities in the executives and use of these programs has a positive impact on the personal and professional growth of […]
• Pain Alleviation and Peer Mentorship: Variables To understand the effects that peer mentorship and self-management have on the process of alleviating pain among patients, one should consider the demographic characteristics of the target population as one of the factors that are […]
• Adult and Peer Mentorship Program Evaluation The research hypothesis is supported by the set of objectives, which designed to form the core of the research. To come up with a credible report the research team will adhere to the code of […]
• Mentoring Plan for Organizational Culture The weaknesses associated with this department have affected the performance of the firm. The program will encourage every employee to promote the best practices.
• Coaching and Mentoring: Developing Effective Practice The strategy has the potential to support the targeted outcomes. The mentor also identifies the strengths of the relationship during this phase.
• Counseling and Mentorship Program for Hispanic Children The purpose of the mentorship program was to educate and widen their learning skills of the targeted children. The program also targeted to inform these individuals about the relevance of schooling in the Hispanic society.
• Mentoring Theory, Research and Practice Since mentoring is a professional relationship, it is important for both the mentor and the mentee to foster trust between themselves as well as a team in the organisation.
• CEO’s Coaching & Mentoring Program The content shall also cover the rationale for coaching and mentoring employees of Skoda, benefits of the program and identification of employees who can participate in the program The program will also evaluate qualities of […]
• Development of Training and Mentoring Program The cause of the program will define the main reason why the program has to be pursued while the focus will clarify and concentrate the specific areas where the training and mentoring will address.
• Mentoring of New Teachers The aim of the paper is to reveal the nature of mentoring, outline key elements of two research findings, and compare them.
• Educator Mentoring in Public Texas Schools Educator mentoring in public Texas Schools It is apparent that Texas education Agency offers a wide range of services to members of staff in the teaching fraternity and mentors to facilitate mentorship programs in public […]
• Human Resource Management: Workplace Shortages (Mentoring) Because of the upgraded demands towards employees and the unwillingness of the latter to train their professional skills on their own, the Australian public companies and private entrepreneurships have developed a strategy of mentoring, which […]
• Effect of Mentorship on Employees The administrators scrutinise the mentoring profiles and match the mentor and the mentee depending on training needs, career goals, and competence.
• Teacher Mentorship Programs in Texas The increase in teacher mentees is instrumental in the enhancement of the sufficient teaching staff in the region’s educational system. Mentors need to have a proper understanding of the vital role that they play in […]
• Employee Mentoring and Coaching In general, any manager who wants to assume this model must instill, in his employees and to himself, the principle that leadership is cooperative and collaborative.
• Mentoring: Analysis of the Articles The peculiar feature of this article is that the authors focus on early career of a teacher and the necessity to mentor new teachers to cope with the duties set.
• Development of Adolescent Mentoring Programs The mentoring programs are aimed at instilling responsibility values to the young fathers, not only to relieve the burden left on the mothers, but also to facilitate parental rights to the children.
• Coaching and Mentoring in Business Business coaching and mentoring is very important in instilling knowledge, skills, styles, and techniques as well as the ability to make significant decisions that are aimed at improving an individual’s achievement or business goals.
• Comparing and Contrasting the Followership and Mentorship in “Wall Street” and “The Matrix” He teaches Fox to use the loopholes of business to his advantage. Neo uses the skills that Morpheus has taught him to save his mentor.
• Mentorship for Health and Social Care Practitioners
• Building Mentorship Capability From Build-A-Bear Workshop
• Changing the Culture With Modern-Day Mentorship
• Mentorship Program for Children: Letter to Parents
• Designing Instructions for the Mentorship Program
• Five Mentorship Must-Haves in the Entrepreneurial Space
• Mentorship Through Maslow’s Self-Actualisation: Teaching, Learning and Assessment Theories
• Health and Social Care: Mentorship, Facilitation, and Supervision
• Increasing Cycling for Transportation Through Mentorship Programs
• Connection Between Juvenile Offenders and Possibility of Mentorship Program
• The Relationship Between Management Theories and Mentorship Programs
• Mentorship Alliance Between African Farmers: Implication for Sustainable Agriculture Sector Reform
• Evaluating Mentorship Program for Ford Motors
• Preparation for Providing Effective and Efficient Mentorship Nursing
• Recruitment and Mentorship Plan For Enlisted Aide Program
• Student Mentorship Program for the Community College
• Where Are the Coast Guard’s Mentorship Programs?
• American Minority Youth Mentoring Program Overview
• Auditor and Non-mentor Supervisor Relationships: Effects of Mentoring and Organizational Justice
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada: Mentoring to Prevent Crime
• Can Companies Use Mentoring to Increase Employee Retention?
• The Role of Mentorship in a Successful Journey
• Mentorship in “The Mosquito Coast” and “The Book Thief”
• The Effect of Mentorship and Socialization on Female Attorneys
• How Engaged Pedagogy Can Use Participation in Stimulating Learning
• Exploring Mentoring and the Role of Mentor in Education
• Mentor and Mentee Relationships in the Army
• Why African American Students Need African American Mentors
• Mentorship to Improve the Performance of Underachieving Students
• Skillsfuture Mentorship Programme in Singapore: Developing an Open Mind Towards Diversity
• Career Motivation, Mentoring Readiness, and Participation in Workplace Mentoring Programs
• Coaching and Mentoring for the Leadership and Management
• Combining Mentoring Programs With Cash Transfers for Adolescent Girls in Liberia
• Correlation Between Educator Attrition and Mentoring Programs
• Developing Coaching and Mentoring Programs in the Workplace
• Difference Between Counselling and Mentoring
• Employees Benefit From Coaching & Mentoring Program
• Expanding Leadership Diversity Through Formal Mentoring
• Leadership Mentoring and Succession of the Charismatic Churches
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, March 2). 117 Mentorship Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/mentorship-essay-topics/

"117 Mentorship Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 2 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/mentorship-essay-topics/.

IvyPanda . (2024) '117 Mentorship Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 2 March.

IvyPanda . 2024. "117 Mentorship Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/mentorship-essay-topics/.

1. IvyPanda . "117 Mentorship Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/mentorship-essay-topics/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "117 Mentorship Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 2, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/mentorship-essay-topics/.

• Leadership Essay Ideas
• Team Leadership Research Ideas
• Leadership Concept Essay Titles
• Organizational Leadership Essay Topics
• Career Development Topics
• Leadership Qualities Research Ideas
• Leadership Development Essay Titles
• Personal Growth Research Ideas
• Talent Management Questions
• Career Ideas
• Pedagogy Topics
• Performance Management Ideas
• Growth Strategy Titles
• Motivation Research Ideas
• Wall Street Questions

• Entertainment
• Environment
• Information Science and Technology
• Social Issues

Home Essay Samples Sociology Mentor

My Influencer and Inspiration: the Role of a Mentor in My Life

*minimum deadline

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below

• Homosexuality
• Teacher-Student Relationships
• Rhetorical Strategies
• Cultural Competence
• Nation Building

Related Essays

Need writing help?

You can always rely on us no matter what type of paper you need

*No hidden charges

100% Unique Essays

Absolutely Confidential

Money Back Guarantee

By clicking “Send Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails

You can also get a UNIQUE essay on this or any other topic

Thank you! We’ll contact you as soon as possible.

All About Teacher Observations: How to Get Them Right

• Share article

More than a decade after being recognized as the Arkansas 2007 teacher of the year, Justin Minkle still found himself flustered when his principal slipped into the back row of class. “When my principal walks in with her laptop or a clipboard and pen, I’m instantly afflicted by a crippling self-doubt I haven’t felt since junior high,” the teacher wrote in a 2018 Opinion essay. “I scan the room with the alert panic a gazelle must feel when scanning the savannah for predators.”

Five years later, his jitters over observations— and his four tips for “surviving” them —continue to hit home for classroom teachers.

Earlier this school year, when the essay was reshared on Facebook, teachers flocked to the comments to affirm that teacher observations remain a perennial concern. In a lively conversation of 280 comments , readers volunteered their own success stories of the observation process working well and commiserated over their shared frustrations.

“I personally don’t mind them,” wrote Facebook commenter Lacey Peters, “because I am a self criticizer and usually the admin is saying much more positive things about my teaching even when I think the lesson went horribly!”

“I don’t have feelings of self-doubt,” another commenter, Rebecca Salomonsson, wrote, “I have feelings of resentment that someone is in my room actively taking notes on me. What other profession does this to its professionals? My husband is an engineer. He is trusted to do his job.”

In many commenters’ impressions of being observed, the deciding variable seemed to be how much they trusted the administrators observing them. How to build a bridge of support rather than judgment between teacher and principal has long been a source of inquiry for educators writing in Edweek’s Opinion pages.

In her 2022 essay “ The Most Important Thing Principals Can Do in a Teacher Observation ,” English teacher Kelly Scott charts the lasting impact of a single moment of encouragement in her first year of teaching. That memorable observation started with just one word: “ Wow!”

“He knew that what I really needed—more than professional development, more than goal setting and professional standards—was someone to cheer me on,” she recalled of her administrator’s enthusiastic feedback during that vulnerable first observation.

Leading with enthusiasm isn’t the only advice teachers have to offer the observers coming into their classrooms. Two years ago, when teacher blogger Larry Ferlazzo asked his peers for best practices when administrators (or other teachers) observe their lessons, 19 contributors shared their own ideas. His four-part series on the topic rounded up a slew of their actionable guidance and emotional reflections:

• 18 Ways to Improve Teacher Observations
• How to Make Teacher Observations (Almost) Stress-Free
• Throw Out the Protocol for Teacher Observations. Use Common Sense Instead
• How to Create a Positive Atmosphere for Teacher Observations

It’s not just teachers with a stake in the observation process; administrators have had their say as well.

Last year, Atlanta Assistant Principal NaTasha Woodey-Wideman explained that not every professional learning effort has the same goal—but they all reflect a leader’s instructional values.

In “ How You Deliver Professional Learning Says a Lot About You ,” she urged principals to be intentional about the goals of a specific professional learning effort and then use teacher observations in service of those goals: “If the focus of a session is to provide teachers with tools for formative assessment, the lens of subsequent teacher observations should be formative assessment. After a session on building a strong classroom culture, walk-throughs should focus on culture.”

Soon after, Woodley-Wideman joined principal-turned-leadership-coach Opinion blogger Peter DeWitt for a live online discussion to consider how educator professional learning can move beyond the “sit and get” model.

In the discussion, her guidance began with a reminder that professional learning efforts should put an emphasis on the learning : “We tend to forget that teachers are also learners.”

She concluded her advice by flipping that formulation for school leaders. “Never forget you are a teacher,” she reminded building leaders. “Your classroom is that entire building.” (You can watch the full discussion on-demand for free here .)

Nearly a decade before their conversation, DeWitt was already beating the drum for principal introspection, asking readers: “ Leaders: Are Your Teacher Observations Active or Passive? ”

He cautioned against a box-checking approach to teacher observations, noting, “It is often seen as a process to get done ... instead of a process to get done right.” Principals need to structure the process less like distant evaluators and more like instructional coaches, DeWitt proposed.

That’s a call to action that has been echoed by other educators since, including in David Edelman’s “ Teacher Evaluation That Goes Beyond Check Boxes .” The most helpful post-observation feedback from his years in the classroom, he wrote in the 2016 Opinion essay, came from an informal collaboration with a fellow teacher who engaged deeply with his instructional practice rather than merely handing out a rating.

In the not-so-distant future, some of those moments of professional coaching may not just come from fellow teachers—or even fellow humans. Drawing on their work designing a natural-language-processing tool to provide teachers immediate feedback after a lesson, researchers Jing Liu, Dora Demszky, and Heather C. Hill invited readers to “imagine a world where we could harness the power of AI to provide teachers with automated, valuable feedback.”

That world shouldn’t come at the expense of interpersonal relationships in schools but rather work in service of building even stronger ones, they argued in “ AI Can Make Education More Personal (Yes, Really) ” this past summer.

Whether tech-assisted or otherwise, one thing remains true: There’s no ignoring the emotional vulnerability of the teachers being observed.

After all, to return to Justin Minkle’s appraisal of the observation process, the stakes can feel high. “It’s not just our professional competence that’s wrapped up in an observation,” he reminded readers, “but a sense of our worth as human beings.”

Sign Up for EdWeek Update

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In

This tuba player from Virginia now makes sweet STEM music with a Detroit robotics team

As a tuba player, including being a marching band section leader at the university of virginia, parker miles enjoyed being loud at times. now he enjoys taking a back seat to cheer on detroit students..

As a tuba player throughout high school, college and for a year professionally with a marching band representing the pro football team in Washington, D.C., Parker Miles was accustomed to being a leader. 

But for the past two school years, Miles has settled into a supporting role within a group of mostly Detroit teenagers. And the Woodbridge, Virginia, native says he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“I’m an extra set of hands and eyes,” says Miles, who serves as a mentor for high school students that are members of K9.0 Robotics, which is the FIRST(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition team at the School at Marygrove in Detroit. “The kids call me ‘Coach P,’ but I’m more like a cheerleader because the kids know so much more than I do.” 

While the 34-year-old Miles may not be a robotics expert, it was his desire to “study how Black kids use, understand and imagine technology,” that led the University of Michigan Ph.D. candidate to the stately building that now serves as a high school within the Marygrove Conservancy at 8425 W. McNichols in northwest Detroit’s Fitzgerald neighborhood. 

Like the college basketball teams that have been competing in March Madness across the country, Miles says his journey with the Marygrove robotics team this month also has been magical at times. That was the case March 15-16 at the Matthaei Physical Education Center, on the campus of Wayne State University, where Marygrove was among 40 teams from across metro Detroit that competed in a FIRST In Michigan district competition. However, before the 17-student squad — known as Team 8280 in the FIRST Robotics Competition universe — experienced its shining moment, there were some daunting hurdles that needed to be cleared. 

“It was a long, hard day (March 15) of struggle and we had problems we had never seen,” Miles said about the challenges the team faced during Day 1 of the matches at Wayne State, including what Miles described in layman's terms as “one of the arms breaking off” the team’s robot and problems connected to coding that left the robot “stuck in place” for a period of time. “We had catastrophic failure after catastrophic failure, but the team was so resilient and worked through every problem. It was such a testament to their hard work and character.”

Through it all, the resilient Marygrove team qualified for the playoff portion of the competition. And after two mentally and emotionally charged days of matches, the Marygrove team settled into the Matthaei stands to cheer on the teams that finished at the very top of the final team standings. 

“It was the 30th hour of the competition; we had been there forever; and we were wearing the same clothes; but we hung out because we’re good sports,” Miles, who likened the buzz created in a gym or arena during the short matches that take place during a FIRSTRobotics competition to Olympic wrestling, said. “We were watching the teams (during the award presentations) that we wanted to be like.” 

And then, as Miles tells it, his team became the team that everyone in the Matthaei Center wanted to be like when it was announced that the team representing the School at Marygrove had been awarded the “FIRST Impact Award (formerly the Chairman’s Award), which is awarded at FIRST Robotics Competitions to “honor the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate.” 

Miles said the honor, which FIRST defines as the “most prestigious award” the organization gives out, triggered an epic response from the Marygrove team members. And on the evening of March 25, he delighted in replaying the moment.

“They were jumping, screaming, crying and looking for people to hug,” Miles said of the response from Marygrove immediately after it was announced the team had won the Impact Award, which earned Marygrove a berth in the FIRSTIn Michigan State Championship at Saginaw State University from April 4 to April 6. “The power of their explosive energy literally knocked me out of my seat.” 

In addition, Miles shared a powerful story about how he has observed and participated in efforts where the footprint of Marygrove’s robotics team has extended beyond competitions and the students’ school grounds. 

“The kids care about each other and they care about the community,” said Miles, who also explained that community involvement is one of the major factors the judges consider when deciding which team will receive the Impact Award. “The students are excited to represent Detroit excellence at the highest level and they have shared what they have learned about STEM in their community. They have taught coding to Girl Scouts and elementary school students, not because anyone has told them to do that, but because they wanted to be there. 

“This group has done the right thing over and over and over, and they got rewarded. And it’s something that I will never forget. It took a full week to tell the story again about them (receiving the Impact Award) without crying.” 

During the evening of March 27, the subject of crying and more also was discussed by Amara Small, a senior co-captain on the Marygrove robotics team. 

“When our team heard that we won the Impact Award, there were a lot of tears from all of us; a lot of pride; and we were all hugging,” Small, who chose to attend Marygrove because of her passion for social justice and engineering, described. “And receiving the Impact Award was very personal for me because I compiled a lot of the background (essay, several summaries and videos) about our team that the judges reviewed.” 

Small later went on to speak about other topics and events that she feels strongly about, such as obtaining gender equity in STEM; a series of workshops that her team put on for local Girl Scouts, and her team’s participation in a Black Tech Saturday event at Michigan Central Station, where the team showed off the capabilities of its robot. There also was a special welcome back party during the summer of 2023 after Miles returned to Detroit after completing an internship with eBay. 

“We joked about Coach P being on a world tour because I believe he spent time in Australia,” recalled Small, who has been involved in STEM activities since the second grade and aspires to work for NASA. “We really, really missed him and it was cool to see the team come together to plan that for him. 

“And it showed that we are a family.” 

On March 25, Miles credited the team’s family spirit to lead to coach Leon Pryor Jr., of whom Miles said: “I have never seen a person more committed to the success of others.” Miles also pointed to veteran team members like junior co-captain Xavier McDonald, who joined the team as a freshman.

“I wanted to be a trailblazer,” says McDonald, who aspires to be an engineer and looks forward to compiling a portfolio highlighting his experiences to share with colleges that interest him, including the University of Michigan and Kettering University. “When we receive awards and accolades, I think it pushes us even further. They become checkpoints and then you strive to go higher and higher. And I’ve decided that I should put all of my efforts into robotics.”

Miles, no doubt, will give his very best effort on April 23 when he defends his dissertation. When sharing his findings about the Detroit youths he has been in a community with on the Marygrove robotics team, Miles will have several robotics competition experiences to call upon, including a FIRST In Michigan district competition at Renaissance High School that will conclude on March 30 and the state championship competition in April, which also will play a major role in determining the Michigan teams that will qualify for the 2024 FIRST Championship — a world championship event scheduled for April 17-20 in Houston. But regardless of how well the Marygrove team fares in upcoming tournaments, Miles, who is seeking a doctorate in education and digital studies, has hinted that competition standings will not be the first thing on his mind when he shares what he has learned from young people on the Marygrove robotics team.

“The joy is fundamental,” declared Miles, who now proudly lives in Detroit on the city’s North End. “The coolest thing is to see the kids so fully being themselves. And this group is committed to being joyful and committed to learning and growing.” 

Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city’s neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @STalleyfreep. Read more of Scott's stories at  www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/ . Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by  becoming a subscriber . 

‘Excited to represent Detroit excellence at the highest level’ 

What:  K9.0 Robotics, the FIRST(For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition team at the School at Marygrove in Detroit

Angelo Barton  - Software

Tahara Drew  - Team Lead Electrical  – Drive Team

Aslan Fleming – Mechanical

Olivia Flood – Team Lead Electrical

Joshua Gassaway - Software

Karion Gooden - Mechanical

Xavier McDonald – Captain and Team Lead Mechanical – Drive Team

Corey McKenzie - Business

Shyann Miller - Scouting

Staja' Miller – Team Lead Computer Aided Design – Drive Team

Emily Nahabedian - Electrical

Leon Pryor III – Team Lead Software – Drive Team

Ryen Ray - Mechanical

Amara Small – Captain and Team Lead Business

Bryson Taylor - Mechanical

Frank Washington – Mechanical  

Marshawn Wilson Grissett – Mechanical – Drive Team

2024 Robot Name:  Anubis

Lead Coach:  Leon Pryor Jr.

Team Mentor:  Parker Miles (“Coach P”) 

Upcoming Event:  FIRSTIn Michigan State Championship at Saginaw State University; April 4-6.

Jump to navigation

Search form

The Graduate School

• Faculty/Staff Resources
• Programs of Study Browse the list of MSU Colleges, Departments, and Programs
• Graduate Degree List Graduate degrees offered by Michigan State University
• Research Integrity Guidelines that recognize the rights and responsibilities of researchers
• Online Programs Find all relevant pre-application information for all of MSU’s online and hybrid degree and certificate programs
• Graduate Specializations A subdivision of a major for specialized study which is indicated after the major on official transcripts
• Graduate Certificates Non-degree-granting programs to expand student knowledge and understanding about a key topic
• Interdisciplinary Graduate Study Curricular and co-curricular opportunities for advanced study that crosses disciplinary boundaries
• Theses and Dissertations Doctoral and Plan A document submission process
• Policies and Procedures important documents relating to graduate students, mentoring, research, and teaching
• Academic Programs Catalog Listing of academic programs, policies and related information
• Traveling Scholar Doctoral students pursue studies at other BTAA institutions
• Apply Now Graduate Departments review applicants based on their criteria and recommends admission to the Office of Admissions
• International Applicants Application information specific to international students
• PhD Public Data Ph.D. Program Admissions, Enrollments, Completions, Time to Degree, and Placement Data
• Costs of Graduate School Tools to estimate costs involved with graduate education
• Recruitment Awards Opportunities for departments to utilize recruitment funding
• Readmission When enrollment is interrupted for three or more consecutive terms
• Assistantships More than 3,000 assistantships are available to qualified graduate students
• Fellowships Financial support to pursue graduate studies
• Research Support Find funding for your research
• Travel Funding Find funding to travel and present your research
• External Funding Find funding outside of MSU sources
• Workshops/Events Find opportunities provided by The Graduate School and others
• Research Opportunities and programs for Research at MSU
• Career Development Programs to help you get the career you want
• Teaching Development Resources, workshops, and development opportunities to advance your preparation in teaching
• Cohort Fellowship Programs Spartans are stronger together!
• The Edward A. Bouchet Graduate Honor Society (BGHS) A national network society for students who have traditionally been underrepresented
• Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) A gateway to graduate education at Big Ten Academic Alliance universities
• Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) A community that supports retention, and graduation of underrepresented doctoral students
• Recruitment and Outreach Ongoing outreach activities by The Graduate School
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Funding Funding resources to recruit diverse students
• Graduate Student Organizations MSU has over 900 registered student organizations
• Grad School Office of Well-Being Collaborates with graduate students in their pursuit of their advanced degree and a well-balanced life
• Housing and Living in MI MSU has an on and off-campus housing site to help find the perfect place to stay
• Mental Health Support MSU has several offices and systems to provide students with the mental health support that they need
• Spouse and Family Resources MSU recognizes that students with families have responsibilities that present challenges unique to this population
• Health Insurance Health insurance info for graduate student assistants and students in general at MSU
• Safety and Security MSU is committed to cultivating a safe and inclusive campus community characterized by a culture of safety and respect
• Why Mentoring Matters To Promote Inclusive Excellence in Graduate Education at MSU
• Guidelines Guidelines and tools intended to foster faculty-graduate student relationships
• Toolkit A set of resources for support units, faculty and graduate students
• Workshops Workshops covering important topics related to mentor professional development
• About the Graduate School We support graduate students in every program at MSU
• Strategic Plan Our Vision, Values, Mission, and Goals
• Social Media Connect with the Graduate School!
• History Advancing Graduate Education at MSU for over 25 years
• Staff Directory
• Driving Directions

Educator of the Month, April 2024: Katherine Knowles

Michigan State University is fortunate to have passionate educators who are committed to enhancing the experience of their students and who help to provide the best education possible.

The Graduate School is featuring some of these educators – graduate and postdoc educators – every month to share their unique stories and perspectives on what it means to be a dedicated educator, how they’ve overcome educational challenges, and the ways they have grown through their experiences.

For April 2024, we are featuring Katherine Knowles, a doctoral candidate in the Department of English. In her writeup, Katherine shares that failure is not something to be afraid of and how it makes her a better educator.

What does it mean to be an educator at a university?

To be an educator at university, particularly as a graduate student, ultimately means being open to change. Flexibility and adaptability are the most important traits I’ve developed over my time as a teaching assistant at MSU. I have taught a variety of different courses, ranging from large humanities lecture courses that fulfill university general education requirements, to smaller, seminar-sized English courses.

Regardless of the size of the class, I strive to find ways to dismantle hierarchies in the classroom and create space for students to set their own terms and goals. The semester may start with a set plan, but there needs to be space to adjust the course. It is possible to uphold your values as an educator while understanding that not every activity, assignment, or reading works for every student and that you may need to switch paths for your students to help them achieve learning goals.

A big part of this is meeting students where they are. At any university, but especially one the size of MSU, educators interact with a diverse group of students who have had a variety of different life and educational experiences. In any given class, my students might come from rural or urban hometowns and various socioeconomic backgrounds. They may come from any number of countries or be the first in their family to attend college.

Even in the largest of classroom settings, it is my responsibility as an educator to work with my students to create a learning environment that best serves their needs and provides a safe space for them to cultivate their intellectual growth. Some of the most generative moments in the classroom come from creating opportunities to experiment and play by adapting to student interests and strengths.

What challenges have you experienced and how have you grown from them?  

Being an educator is inherently challenging. Although we’d like to think that when we are in the classroom the outside world gets left at the door, this is never the case. In addition to feeling the pressures of striving for academic success, our students are dealing with complex family and work lives that are going to inevitably influence how they approach their undergraduate work. I have grown to better understand that while the classes I teach are not necessarily unimportant, there are always going to be other things in my students’ lives that are more important to them. They may need to prioritize their work or their caregiving responsibilities.

Ultimately, better understanding the challenges my students face has enabled me to view them not as challenges toward my success as an instructor, but as opportunities to improve and expand my pedagogical skillset. While it is important to keep boundaries with students, there is nothing wrong with recognizing them as complex, well-rounded individuals who have individual needs. Keeping channels of communication open and actively cultivating an environment where students feel comfortable approaching you can cut down on many of the challenges one might face as an educator.

Of course, as I started teaching at MSU in Fall 2019, I have encountered a number of challenges that are not unique to me but are unique to our time. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a quick and unprecedented emergency shift to online courses in Spring 2020, and many educators also had to act as learners in order to develop effective online courses for future semesters.

After the violence that took place on campus in Spring 2023, educators had to process their own trauma while simultaneously deploying a trauma-informed pedagogy to help our students. Educators and students alike have been incredibly resilient over the last few years at MSU and, although I wish they didn’t have to be, I will continue to foster meaningful learning environments that can adapt to real-world situations, unprecedented, traumatic, and otherwise.

What value do you see in Teaching Professional Development?  

For many graduate student instructors, we never get any formal education in pedagogy. Although there are courses that focus on pedagogy, I have to go outside of my field and degree program to take them. Yet, a part of many funding packages requires a certain amount of teaching. As such, we often have to seek out opportunities to further improve our pedagogical practice and begin to develop our own system of values as educators.

Fortunately, opportunities to engage with teaching professional development are available. I have attended the beginning of the year TA training offered by the graduate school several times, and I have enrolled in the Certification in College Teaching , which has made me aware of a variety of workshops and talks across campus as well as connected me with my current fellowship with the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation here on campus. Since I primarily teach students outside of my field, these events have given me the opportunity to develop a pedagogy that is aware of the diversity of both my students and their fields of study, and how I can best serve their needs—rather than defaulting to what may be expected in the more “traditional” English literature classroom.

I also strongly encourage educators to attend conferences related to teaching or find the panel at your national conference that discusses pedagogy. Even if your department is great at helping instructors develop their pedagogy, it is incredibly valuable to learn how educators in different university contexts are approaching the same material. There is always more to learn when it comes to pedagogy, and your development as an educator never ends.

What is one piece of advice you would give other graduate educators?  

Embrace failure and do not be afraid if you don’t know the answer. As a teaching assistant, you might find yourself teaching a class that is not in your subject area, and that’s okay. There are going to be times when you do not know the answer, or where an activity you have planned just doesn’t work out in the way you’ve hoped. Sometimes it may be as simple as technological failure, but as you spend more time in the classroom, the more chances there are for things to go wrong—and they will. But, in a way, that can be incredibly freeing. What is important is how you react to these moments where things don’t go the way you were expecting them to. In doing so, you can model behavior to your students to help them learn how to react positively and constructively when things do not go as planned.

For example, I provide multiple options to complete assignments, allowing students to experiment with different ways to express their arguments, be it via the more traditional essay, or via innovative digital tools and methods. Recently, for example, students in my IAH 206 course submitted artifacts such as websites, multimedia posters, and even podcasts to fulfill their final assignment and meet critical thinking, analysis, and communication goals. This flexibility, while allowing for more hands-on and tailored experiential learning, often includes moments of failure, as experimenting with new methods can add an additional learning curve on top of mastering course content.

To provide an inclusive learning environment that meets students at their own individual levels of technological competency, I build in space for moments in which “failure” is reframed as a learning opportunity. If things don’t go as planned, that doesn’t mean an automatic failure in terms of the grade scale. Rather, it provides the opportunity for me and my students to think through what went wrong—but also what went well, and how to move forward with resilience and with vital earned experience. Failure, I have learned, often provides much more rich engagement with ideas, and allows students opportunities to adjust, adapt to, and augment their approach to work within and without the classroom.

What do you enjoy in your free time? 

In my free time, I really enjoy reading books outside of my field of study and going on walks with my dog. As an educator, researcher, and student, I need to make an active effort in creating work-life balance.

• Call us: (517) 353-3220
• Contact Information
• Privacy Statement
• Site Accessibility
• Call MSU: (517) 355-1855
• Visit: msu.edu
• MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer.
• Notice of Nondiscrimination
• Spartans Will.
• © Michigan State University

Advertisement

Supported by

The Watching Newsletter

What to Watch This Weekend: A Fun Historical Crime Drama

In its best and most exciting moments, “Manhunt” is the only show brilliant enough to ask: Why can’t Abraham Lincoln be in the “The Fugitive”?

• Share full article

By Margaret Lyons

So much of “Manhunt” is a deft modern chase thriller that one can almost feel the phantom F.B.I. windbreakers. You’d swear you can hear a ’90s office phone ringing, or that someone’s face is lit only by their late-night computer session. Yes, there’s an investigator’s crazy wall, but those photos aren’t 8x10s. They’re milky tintypes, because it is 1865, and we’re chasing John Wilkes Booth.

In its best and most exciting moments, “Manhunt” is the only show brilliant enough to ask: Why can’t Abraham Lincoln be in the “The Fugitive”? Tobias Menzies stars as Edwin Stanton, the secretary of war under Lincoln who led the 12-day search for Booth. As portrayed here, Stanton is intense, asthmatic, married to the job and thus neglecting his actual wife; you know the drill. His relationship with Lincoln (Hamish Linklater), seen in doting flashback, feels like an amped-up version of Josh and President Jed Bartlet on “The West Wing” — tender, Socratic, grand. And so when his mentor and their vision for America are destroyed with a single shot, Stanton leaps into aggrieved action.

“Manhunt” wears its historicity lightly, and its tone and dialogue lean decidedly contemporary. Mostly this does not undercut the intensity of the proceedings but instead adds flair and personality as well as an aerodynamic urgency. In other moments, though, modern lingo and mismatched performances make “Manhunt” feel uncomfortably like “Drunk History,” particularly when characters are either crying or sermonizing.

The show is also, deeply, a showbiz story. Booth ( Anthony Boyle ) is a mopey dirtbag actor, desperate for fame and approval and thrilled to deploy “Don’t you know who I am?” when given the chance. He reads coverage of the assassination as an insecure star reads his reviews, and he bristles when fans repeatedly tell him he’s shorter than they thought he’d be. Characters jockey for flattering media coverage and argue about advancing their own narratives both for vanity and for the sake of a fragile nation. A whistle-stop tour of Lincoln’s body is framed as a flashy PR strategy. All the world’s a stage, and … uh … some of us get assassinated in the audience.

“Manhunt” thrives on taut, terrific little moments. Stanton loathes Andrew Johnson (Glenn Morshower), who doesn’t seem to care much. “You could be the first man to call me ‘Mr. President,’” Johnson oozes. “Touch a Bible first, Andy,” Stanton snaps back. The show also builds tension with real aplomb: ticking clocks underscore many scenes, and characters rush through frames, hurrying themselves and the story.

Even when it gets dopey, “Manhunt” is still engrossing — fun, even. New episodes arrive Fridays through April 19, on Apple TV+.

Margaret Lyons is a television critic at The Times, and writes the TV parts of the Watching newsletter . More about Margaret Lyons

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

“X-Men ’97,” a revival on Disney+ that picks up where the ’90s animated series left off, has faced questions after the firing of its showrunner  ahead of the premiere.

“3 Body Problem,” a science fiction epic from the creators of “Game of Thrones,” has arrived on Netflix. We spoke with them about their latest project .

For the past two decades, female presidential candidates on TV have been made in Hillary Clinton’s image. With “The Girls on the Bus,” that’s beginning to change .

“Freaknik,” a new Hulu documentary, delves into the rowdy ’80s and ’90s-era spring festival  that drew hundreds of thousands of Black college students to Atlanta.

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.