35. Be a mentor to someone

It’s weird to think I can be a mentor to someone because I’ve always constantly been in need of mentors in my life. I’ve been so busy searching for answers and advice (I tend to be very clueless and clumsy) that I didn’t realize my knowledge was of any value to anyone. My profession as a teacher automatically set the stage for me to become a mentor to my students, but as a teacher I couldn’t reach out to every individual as much as I wanted due to the fact I spoke to the class as a whole more than each individual. Unless they came to my office to ask questions, it was difficult for me to reach out. As the year went on, I tried my best to be not just a teacher but a good mentor to my students at the school I taught at. After school hours, I either held some after school classes that had fewer students in each class or went to tutor individual students who were preparing for college admissions. The most rewarding thing about my profession is that one day when you feel as if all of your students graduated, moved on, and forgot about you, there’s always that affirmation that you made an impact on their life. Students I taught at every single previous school year after year reach out to me to tell me how they miss my classes or how they remember my advice. Students from my after-school classes reach out to me about my debate classes and how it helped them with learning English. Students I tutored express how they miss being tutored and how they learned so much academic and non-academic lessons from me. The best form of this is college admission acceptance. Because I am a high school teacher, my students come back either a year or two later, bragging about how they were admitted to whichever college. It’s not only their joy but also mine that I could partake in their journey to get them to where they want to be! One of my tutees is now at my undergraduate university at NYU and brags how he made it to the school I went to. Another one of my tutees is waiting for her early decisions to Cornell University. I ran into one of my previous students at Columbia University’s main campus during my graduate school welcome week because it was her first week of undergraduate classes. This one was especially rewarding because I had written her recommendation letter! I had never thought that one day I’d be a mentor to someone but as a teacher, I realize I make such an impact on many students’ lives. Every advice, words of caution, encouragement, and care are all taken in by someone! They are all appreciated. This is what drives me to encourage more, teach more, and support more.