From elementary to middle school, I was considered a gifted honor’s student, but then once high school started, things hit a turning point. I had finally started my ascent (perhaps descent would be a better phrase to use in my case) into adulthood, and started questioning myself. What did I want to do? It was not what my family wanted for me. Eventually, I was pushed away by their overbearingness, and I rebelled academically. Moreover, I felt uncared for by my teachers in school. No one asked how I was doing or if I needed help. And when I started being bullied by my peers, the teachers and adults who were supposed to care for me, did not.
These days I’m in AHRC’s Advance and Earn program, studying to get my HSE, and a member of the Mayor’s Fellows at Young Invincibles. I’m referred to as a “Disconnected Youth,” teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither working nor in school. I don’t like the term disconnected because I always wanted to finish my education, but felt like no one was genuinely supportive around me.
Relationships with students should include alignment with home life, achieved through regular communication and periodic mentor-student meetings with parents/guardians. To implement this would be through one-on-one mentoring, with mentors assigned their personalized group of students based on life experiences/qualifications. An essential component of one-to-one mentoring sessions are weekly self-reflections, which can allow students to build awareness of setting and following through on appropriate academic and social goals. Students consistently practicing individual goal-setting and reflection are better able to accurately recognize and assess their strengths, then act on areas for self-improvement. Going hand-in-hand with identifying strengths, students should also explore personal interests–through clubs, community programs or projects–with encouragement from their mentors to develop their passions. As for academics, mentors should meet with students to evaluate their progress; set short and long-term goals; develop an action plan; and teach time-management, planning strategies. Having intentional, weekly interactions provides students with a universal set of skills– goal setting, adaptability and reflection– all necessary to succeed in college, career and life. Additionally, mentors can create a safe, judgement-free space for students to discuss anything in their personal or academic lives. Personalized learning begins by meeting students where they are at. I know I would’ve been better off with a mentor who welcomed me with open arms and ears.