As educators, we can help our students lift their sights to see beyond graduation. We can identify ways to be more effective mentors with our students, but this will require patience and persistence. Mentoring students calls for our best innovation and intentional efforts.
Many college students face personal challenges that can make their higher education experience difficult, including mental health concerns, belonging fears, loneliness, and the impact of social media. While instructors face a changing university culture that may be quite different from what they experienced as students, most teachers can recall a mentor who made a positive difference in their life.
We can help shape the future as we share our knowledge and experience with students and improve the trajectory of their lives. We offer some suggestions for possibly improving student mentoring.
