Suggested Approach for Student Meetings
Advocates for a Community College Education (ACCE) mentor tip sheet for establishing and developing the student relationship.
The foundation for being a mentor
You are helping a young person transition from high school to college and into adulthood and independence. In addition to the valuable knowledge, experience and insights you bring to your roleas a mentor, it will be important for you to be familiar with the Cape Cod Community College systems. Specifically, you’ll need to be familiar with the 4Cs learning platform called “Moodle” (for class schedule, syllabus and grades). And, of course, you’ll want to be familiar with the ACCE website for information and questions. The student/mentor orientation is designed to provide you with an introduction to those resources.
If you have a mentor partner
Some mentors are paired to work with students while others work individually. If you have a mentor partner, take the time to meet and agree on how you will manage as a team in order to provide the most effective experience for your student. Your relationship with each other is important.
For discussion:
- share personal background and what you believe you bring to mentoring in terms of your education, profession, strengths, experiences, etc.
- agree on how you’ll work together; it’s recommended that partner mentors touch base with each other both before and after a student meeting in order to be aligned about the agenda and to debrief the results
- discuss how you’ll provide feedback to each other as your partnership evolves i.e., what’s working and what could be improved
First conversation with student
The goal of your first conversation with your student is to “set the table” by creating a comfortable, positive beginning to your relationship, to get to know each other and to establish and agree on expectations.
- Clarify what mentoring is and is not and ask what questions they have about ACCE, their scholarship and mentoring.
- Review the Mentoring Agreement and obtain their signature for commitment.
- Establish communication expectations/agreements (emailing, texting, calling) and how to handle situations when unexpected conflicts come up. Reinforce the importance of checking email, the primary form of communication in most organizations) and that consistent responsiveness is key.
- Get to know the student and find out “what makes them tick” by asking questions. Show an interest and listen.
Examples are:
-Tell me about yourself – your family, friends, things you enjoy?
-What is your education goal (certificate, associate degree, transfer to a four-year college, other)?
-What strengths do you already have that you know will help you be successful?
-Who has been your strongest cheerleader/supporter up to now?
-What are your studying arrangements at home?
-What are your transportation arrangements?
-How will you be managing your work and classes (if student has a job)?
-What are you most concerned about as you transition from high school to college?
- Talk about who you are and what you bring to the relationship, sharing your own high school to-college transition story and showing a sense of humor.
- Agree on a meeting plan (in person, Zoom, Facetime) regular monthly (at least) meeting schedule and location (cafeteria, library, off site). Note: Meeting every two weeks is best in the beginning to develop the relationship and you can then later revisit how often to meet/talk (at least monthly).
- Remind the student about the Wellness Center as a useful resource.
Ongoing relationship development
The goal of ongoing conversations is to grow your relationship with the student over time into a safe, non-judgmental trusted one where conversations are open, challenges are discussed and the student feels supported yet still treated as an adult responsible themself for their progress and results.
- Be curious about the student and their experience and be aware of body language in conversations. Ask specific questions, such as:
-How are classes going? If the answer is “okay” ask “how do you know you’re doing okay”?
-What are you finding challenging?
-What has surprised you?
-Which class do you find the easiest? Why
-Which class do you find the most difficult? Why?
-How is your experience with your professors?
-How is your experience with classmates?
- Insist on seeing your student’s class schedule, syllabus and grades because that will enable you to be a more effective mentor. Note: Being very familiar with this information will enable you to be specific with questions and suggestions to help the student.
- As appropriate, remember to refer your student to 4Cs resources when additional performance support or other individual help is needed i.e. Advisor, Wellness Center
- Ask questions about how you’re doing as a mentor:
-How can I help you/what can I do to help you?
-What can I be doing better as your mentor?
Reminder to mentors: The ACCE Mentor Support Team
One purpose of the Mentor Support Team is to provide consultation in certain especially challenging situations that may present themselves during a mentor/mentee relationship. We are hopeful that additional input could help the mentor determine how to proceed and/or where a referral to the CCCC Wellness Center might be advised. We realize that these situations are seldom clear cut. Examples might include a student who has completely withdrawn from interaction with the mentor; a student who is exhibiting a change in behavior that is putting their academic performance at risk, or a student who is not responding to everything the mentor has tried.
To reach the Mentor Support Team please contact the Chairperson
ACCE Mentor Support Team:
Leslie Rennie-Hill – Chair (Email: lrenniehill@gmail.com; Text/Cell: 503-381-4164)
Maryann Campagna
Lynn Carlson
Laurie Hutton-Corr
John Lynch – Board Liaison