Two major ingredients in mentoring are often left out of academic and professional-development dialogues on the subject. One is a simple yet novel approach: Care. Professors should deeply care for those they mentor. Become a friend. Certainly not the most scholarly of perspectives, authentically caring for a mentee matters more than anything else because it allows both parties to sustain a relationship beyond what’s mutually beneficial. And I don’t mean caring in the very distant, arm’s-length (and dare I say, disingenuous?) way all professors “care” for our students. The kind of caring necessary for a successful mentoring relationship requires an emotional investment not just in the academic journey of the student but also in the personal one. We must go beyond the role of teacher while not abdicating that role, either. Continue reading on the Chronicle of Higher Education.
What Mentors Often Miss
August 8, 2014
