Everyday Canvas

Mentors

Prompt: Mentors
What do you think about mentors? Has a mentor been helpful with your life? If you didn't have a mentor, describe a favorite teacher or relative who helped you.

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I owe so much to my mentors who empowered me to investigate several different areas of life, emotional, interpersonal, or professional. They encouraged me and supported me through my joys and trials, and they did this without any prejudice or a complaint or without this being as if it were a duty for them.

My earliest mentors were my uncle, my grandmother, a high-school lit teacher, and another high-school home-ec teacher, then later, an assistant professor in the uni. Maybe they mentored me out of a sense of duty, but I never felt it. I always felt they enjoyed my company.

Some say mentoring is a two-way street and mentors also learn from those who they mentor. I am not sure if any one of my mentors learned from me; therefore, I doubt this idea. I, however, cannot ever repay their attention, their sharing their life and time, and their support when I most needed it.

Because of my experiences with my mentors, I believe a good mentor teaches cooperation, respect for knowledge, respect for people who know more, and he or she fosters a sense of purpose, direction, and clarity in a young or inexperienced person's thinking and life goals, letting the mentored person experience courage and self-confidence. This way, the benefits of true mentoring way surpass just a simple knowledge transfer, as mentors also give emotional support and encouragement, and aid and add to the know-how in career advancement and skill development of a young person.

Truth be told, my mentors became my role models throughout my life. Thus, their effects on me has been life-long, probably or partly because my mentors tailored their guidance to my needs and circumstances. I am forever grateful to them for their interest in me and for all their patience and understanding.


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