Community Question 1: Creating an Understanding

10/27/2014

This is one of Saint Ignatius' video, made last year. Please take a few minutes to watch this video and respond to the following:

How have you, as a mentor, built a relationship with your mentee?
In the video, the school body shouts, "We are Saint Ignatius!" What does this mean? Check out this link, which can answer that question, more or less.

7 Comments

Sarah Miller

10/28/2014 11:49:06 am

Building a relationship requires many important pillars. For me, these pillars are trust, respect, and communication. I have built a relationship with my mentee by treating them with respect by speaking to them like I would want them to speak to me. I make sure to follow up on my word to let them know they can trust me, and I in turn trust them. Communication is vital to any relationship, so I try to keep an open, honest channel between me and my mentee. I believe by doing these things, I have built a relationship with my mentee.

Saint Ignatius is more than just a school - it's a community. It has value in more than just an academic education; it has values in community outreach and brotherhood. Each student of Saint Ignatius is an embodiment of those values. They have a commitment to their academic, emotional, and spiritual education.

Shawn

11/2/2014 08:34:28 am

Swag! Sarah, you make a good point. I agree that commitment is the glue that holds St. Ignatius together. Parents, teachers, students, sponsors, and even volunteers make a commitment to the growth of the guys at the Academy. I am glad that you found a mutuality between yourself and your mentee, as I could see good things coming from it! Thanks for commenting!

Sabrina Sudah

11/3/2014 12:03:19 am

I have built a relationship with my mentee by giving him encouragement when he does not understand a concept, respecting his thoughts and ideas, letting him know that I'm proud of the work he is doing/has done and also giving him the opportunity and choice to choose which assignment he would like to do first. This shows that even though I am there to help him, I'm not telling him what to do he has his own choice and can make his own decisions. In these ways it has created a friendship and trust among myself and my mentee.

Saint Ignatius is not just a place where students go to learn, it is a place where brotherhood is built. A community of friends and peers are formed through volunteering, academics and sports. It is a place where everyone can come together and be equal and work on common goals.

Raquel Coviello

11/3/2014 11:14:46 am

I have built a strong relationship with my mentee by showing him that I care for him. As I sit beside him, I encourage him to keep going even if he is struggling with the reading. The most important aspect of building a relationship is showing the child respect. I believe that I have a relationship with my mentee because the first few sessions he was shy to ask how to say a word, and now he is not afraid to ask questions. I think with the upcoming weeks of tutoring, my relationship with my mentee will be stronger than it is today.

Saint Ignatius is a place for their students to gain a great education as well as building a brotherhood that will last forever. The values the school teaches the students allows for them to have limitless opportunities throughout their lives. The lesson that the school teaches them will forever push them towards achieving their goals.

Carly Morris

11/4/2014 12:01:27 pm

Building a relationship with my mentee, Donald, over the last few weeks has been very rewarding because of how open we both were to the experience. To build a healthy and fun mentor/mentee relationship, the mentor and mentee both must be open to conversation, learning, adapting, and getting out of your comfort zone. By being open to Donald's learning style and level of comprehension, I was able to adjust and help him in ways that he understands. I also think that it is very important to give tips that will not only help him complete one assignment but during his entire time in school. Showing him how to properly answer questions or explaining why it is important to keep organized are things that he can use all throughout middle school, high school, and college. The final and one of the most important parts of this relationship is encouragement. Donald always gives 110% and even if he gets a question wrong I always try to say a positive remark about his attempt because he is trying and that matters no matter what the result is.

Saint Ignatius not only provides an environment for their students to grow not only academically but also spiritually, physically, and mentally. These students are exposed to different ideas, clubs, ways of learning, and people. All of these things allow them to open their minds to a world of endless possibilities but they don't have to do this alone. They are surrounded by teachers, administration, and most importantly their classmates who all want them to succeed. I see this all the time whenever a student isn't sure about a homework assignment. All they have to do is turn around and ask any of their classmates and they will receive a flood of answers. Every students is looking out for one another and helping each other succeed which creates a healthy learning environment at Saint Ignatius.

Nora Sullivan

11/4/2014 12:48:43 pm

Rather than being a mentor to one mentee, I have gotten the opportunity to work with a whole class of St. Ignatius students during their Latin class. I feel that in order to be a good mentor the first priority should be treating the mentee as your equal. I believe that just because you are the older one, the one in the position to help does not mean you should treat the mentee as inferior. I believe treating them as an equal is the most fundamental step because it develops a feeling of trust and comfortableness. I develop this relationship with the students even further by creating an aspect of encouragement and showing him that I care. I feel as though I have really built relationships with these students because when I come into class now they all openly greet me and start conversations, whereas in the beginning they were timid and shy. I also build a relationship with them by asking them about their other aspects of school other than just their Latin class. They share with me what other subjects they are learning and tell me about the sports they take part in in school. I feel that because of asking them about other aspects in school during down time in Latin class they have been able to open up to me a bit more and really develop that caring, trusting relationship.

St. Ignatius is much more than just their learning environment. It is a community, a place where everyone knows one another, they are comfortable, and they are pushing their academics. It teaches more than just the basic subjects, but to strive toward their goals and to hold onto their values while doing so.

James McNamee

11/5/2014 12:56:36 am

I have developed a relationship with my mentee through support and respect. I have tried to help him work through to the answers himself and encourage him in his work without just giving him the answers. I also have made sure to respect his ideas and listen to what he has to say. As a result, I feel like we have developed a good bond and now are much more comfortable having open conversion and expressing ourselves.
St. Ignatius is a community. Everyone cares about one another, and the students grow not only through academics, but also in virtue and friendship. This can be seen in the language of the students and the school video. It isn't this is St. Ignatius, a place, but we are St. Ignatius.

TeamSILA Reflects

Community Question 1: Creating an Understanding

Leave a Reply.

Archives