Tips for Mentors
June/July 2025
Dear Mentors,
Let’s take a deep breath—it’s the end of the school year. Like gardeners through the seasons, you’ve shown up with care and consistency, nurtured your mentees with your presence, and dedicated your listening and belief in their potential. The seeds you planted, tended, and encouraged through the seasons are beginning to bloom—and some will blossom long after the season ends.
In our Mentor Academy, we ask this legacy question inspired from the book Coaching for Equity:
How do you want to be remembered as a mentor?
As we enter summer break, you can take time to reflect and plan for the new year with this question. This kind of conversation with ourselves can help us reconnect with our purpose, recognize the impact we’ve made, and envision the kind of mentor we aspire to be moving forward.
Rethink Your Status Quo
As you step into summer, may you find rest, renewal, and inspiration. Following our discussion on change in the last newsletter, we would like to propose a strategy for you to rethink your status quo as it will help inspire change.
"In any contest between change and the status quo, the status quo has home field advantage. All things being equal, we won't change."
— Thanks for the Feedback, p. 261
Without the daily demands of the school year, summer offers a unique opportunity to challenge the status quo by trying small, low-stakes experiments.
"Try the feedback out, especially when the stakes are low and the potential upside is great. Not because you know that it's right or you know it will help. But because it's possible it will help... and because you (we) don't try new things often enough."
— Thanks for the Feedback, p. 262
This summer, consider experimenting with a new way of offering feedback, starting conversations with different kinds of questions, or even shifting how you prepare for mentoring sessions. These small changes can lead to surprising insights and growth—for both you and your mentees.
Here's an interesting article on Tiny Experiments for everyone: 5 Ways to Come Up with Tiny Experiments - Ness Labs
Think of it as planting experimental seeds: not every one will sprout, but some may lead to unexpected and meaningful blooms. Enjoy experimenting and have fun this summer!
BEST Grant Now Open
2025.2026 BEST Grant Application Information:
2025.2026 BEST FP 222 and P853 are now open for application. EGMS announcements have been published. Grant applications close July 16th end of day.
June Training Opportunities
If you are an aspiring mentor, you are welcome to plan ahead by joining our mentor trainings in June!
Foundational Learning
Mentor Academy 101
Mentor Academy 201
Registration Open for Future Training Opportunities
BEST will offer more trainings in the new school year. All confirmed events have been published on BEST Events & Trainings. You're invited to register for events you're interested in attending on pdEnroller!
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