Students

Mentoring students for a lifetime of success

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Puck & Stella slideshowTurns out that a friend really can help.

An important study was released by Gallup:

When it comes to being engaged at work and experiencing high well-being after graduation, a new Gallup-Purdue University study of college graduates shows that the type of institution they attended matters less than what they experienced there. Yet, just 3% of all the graduates studied had the types of experiences in college that Gallup finds strongly relate to great jobs and great lives afterward

This study only proves what we at the A+ Club, clients, teachers, and tutors, already know: a positive attitude inculcated through caring, consistent, and nonjudgmental guidance and mentoring leads to lifetime success:

For example, if graduates recalled having a professor who cared about them as a person, made them excited about learning, and encouraged them to pursue their dreams, their odds of being engaged at work more than doubled, as did their odds of thriving in all aspects of their well-being

Key findings include:

  • Students with mentors are 2.2 times as likely to experience job satisfaction as those who had none
  • Students who felt their teachers cared about them were 1.9 times as likely to experience job satisfaction as those who did not feel so

These are the goals and experiences we aim to create for our A+ Club students.

Mentoring works because it engages students in GOAL SETTING and FORWARD THINKING – and it DOES NOT JUDGE.

Probably the biggest challenge of adolescence is connecting present decisions to future outcomes without external demands. It’s a rare maturity that thinks constantly about college or beyond in a child. And even those children still don’t have the experience and world-views of an adult.

Here is where mentors fit in:

  1. Sharing experiences.
  2. Connecting children to adulthood
  3. Nonjudgmental problem solving and goal setting
  4. Encouragement

Hey, it’s alright, I’ve been there, too!

Positive & Constant

That someone is available to talk and guide is one thing. But effective mentoring must be regular, constant, and nonjudgmental. Think about how often guidance counselors see their students, say once a semester or only more if there’s a problem.

Guidance Counselors can be mentors, but that’s not really their job. Worse, they represent the institution and all the baggage of rules, demands, and authority that come with it.

When students find a mentor, it words because it is a wholly positive relationship, one chosen by both student and mentor and one removed of authority and rules.

The A+ Club Team

Our team of experienced educators engage students in positive and ongoing mentoring relationships. While we focus on academics, it’s the relationship, the encouragement, and the real-world application of the mentor’s own experiences to a child’s life that makes the difference.

It’s also a big part of why over 94% of our students stay with us month to month: we make a difference in their children’s lives.

I am so proud of all of our students, and we can’t wait to hear from them each week to engage them in the mentoring process of goal setting, self-advocacy, and self-confidence.

And I am equally so proud of our amazing team of experienced classroom teachers and high-level university student Tutors who bring such care, support – and mentoring – to our wonderful students.

As always, please let me know anything we can do for you. Pass the word along, and let’s all celebrate student success

– Michael