Mentoring is a hands-on way to help kids. Have you been a mentor, or did you have a mentor that really made a difference in your life? Trade tips on what really worked for you, how to be a great role model, and why it’s so darned important.

Read about how having a mentor changed Dante's life for the better.

I am currently a teen and for YEARS i wanted to mentor kids younger. I went through family problems and I fell that I can really help some kids out by mentoring. Do you know of any places that I can go to get more Info? a website or a place (so Cal)? thanks. I also have experience of talking to little kids for I teach at my church and I am a instructer for Kendo. This sport I do.

How old do you have to be to be a mentor i'm a teenager and really want to be a mentor but not sure if its possible. I think i would be good at it and have what it takes

I don't like people younger than me, usually, and I don't know how to do anything well, except write, and you can't really teach that, so I would be a sucky mentor. When I picture mentoring, I think of a bunch of twelve years old with sticky fingers asking you a bunch of incredibly easy questions about long division or something. I guess that's not accurate, but I don't really want to take the chance of being stuck with a bunch of idiotic sticky-fingered twelve year olds, so that's another reason I don't mentor. Blah.

mentoring is a great way to get to know a younger kid or whatever and keep them off the streets , yada yada , and all that jazz , but you have to know when to let the kid do things on their own you know ? mentoring can yes build charicter for both parties involved but still , you have to know when its too much mentoring and thats when they have become and infant so to speak and you do everything for them . so ya juss know when your duties are up , and yes i have mentored kids b4 not officaly , but i do

Stop with the CAPS LOCK. Jesus Christ, people. That's so annoying.

What was this post about?

Oh yah, mentoring is salutary to a young person's developement.

Hi im Sherrie from Malaysia. I'm new to the board here. Just want to say that i think tutoring/mentoring is a GREAT way to start helping kids. when i was in high school (im in university now) i gave voluntary tuition at this children help center. it's actually a center for underprivieleged kids who can't afford to go to school, so we tutor them instead. they're very young,about 6 years - 12 years. it's sad to see that these kids are very bright, but they aren't as lucky as us to afford to go to school.
I gave tuition for about 4 years, while in high school, and im glad to say that it has been one of the best experiences of my life.

I want to mentor kids, but inmy country, there is nothing like that. How can I convince my techers that it is useful and what proves should I declare, so that they offer the schoolboard these totally new feature?
Help me, please.
V.

AND LET ME TELL YOU:
YOU HAVE TO BE VERY SWEET AND IN THE OTHER HAND BE STRONG. MANY STUDENTS COME UP WITH PROBLEMS IN THEIR FAMILY, SO THEY ARE HURT OR THEY TAKE THE PROBLEMS AND CARRY THEM BY, AND USE THEM AS EXCUSES TO HAVE FIGHTS OR THINGS.
TEACHING IS A MATTER OF THE HEART. IF YOU ARE MENTORING JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO, THEN DONT.
YOU HAVE TO BE BORN TO MENTOR. THATS MY OPINION.

As young adults, mentoring can develope qualities in ones self that are irreplacable.
You can't keep it, if you don't give it away

For those of you who possess that inate ability to become a mentor
Use it or lose it.

I respect you one and all

I took a class our school offered called "peer tutouring". I was basically an assistant teacher for a grade nine class. It was really interesting and I started out really optimistic, but it turned out to be really hard to make a big difference in these kids opinions about themselves. I could help them a lot with math, but it was a really hard class and most of them expected to fail (and did fail because they were so sure they would). I think mentoring would be a great thing, except in such a huge class (34 students) I wasn't able to focus a lot of attention on any one.

Mentoring is a really great thing. First of all, you feel good about yourself because you're making a difference in someone's life. Second, you change someone's life in so many ways. You might help them do better in school or you may even help them gain self-esteem and confidence. I started tutoring when I was in 11th grade. I tutored 2 students in reading. At first I was really nervous, but after I started to see the difference I was making in my two students, I felt great.
The next year, I tutored again. This time I tutored 2 students in English. Both of them spoke only Spanish. I really improved on my Spanish speaking skills and my self-esteem. I actually felt good about myself which was a great feeling. Also, the two students were able to talk with other peers and also their teacher which was the purpose of my tutoring.
I think everyone should be a tutor because it has great benefits for ourselves and the people we tutor.