Mentoring in a student’s life can be very motivating and transformational when the mentoring occurs during important times in life and is supported in other areas of the student’s world. eMentors is a classroom-based program that teachers incorporate into their curriculum to enrich learning and provide a real-life, engaging experience for students. Mentor messages are aligned around discussions happening in the classroom through weekly guiding questions. Teachers especially enjoy the mentors’ ability to give students one-on-one personalized attention and care, which allows the classroom learning to resonate deeper. Many teachers participate time and time again, and BestPrep asked returning teacher Kyle Bergem from Pine River-Backus High School about his experience in the program for the past four years:
Why do you continue to participate in the eMentors program?
eMentors is used in our Careers class that is required for all senior students. Our school participated in the program because of the opportunity for students to receive guidance from adult mentors and to learn about workplace skills. eMentors is easy to facilitate due to the support from BestPrep and the mentors. In addition to the weekly topics, eMentors provides students high level of instruction ranging from professional communications, punctuality in regard to sending messages on time, as well as exposure to a professional workplace setting.
How does eMentors help enrich the classroom experience?
eMentors is a unique program that cannot be substituted with any other curriculum. The quality of the learning comes from the personal attention given by the mentors. eMentors is the real deal! Students learn first-hand about topics ranging from workplace etiquette, resumes and cover letters, interviewing, as well as lifelong learning. eMentors inherently makes these topics engaging for students. Prior to using BestPrep’s eMentors program, these topics were challenging to create meaningful instruction for students.
What do your students say about the program?
I think this message from one of my student’s last email to her mentor sums it up well:
“Thank you so much for being my eMentor. I was pretty skeptical of the idea at first, but I am so glad we are a part of the program. It is important to have adult role models in our lives that are already in the work force. I truly appreciate the advice you have given me on so many different things. Meeting you was by far my favorite week, but I have really enjoyed our emails. I learn something new every time.”
Thank you, Kyle!
BestPrep appreciates the teachers who give their time and energy to make eMentors a part of their classroom. To learn more about eMentors, visit our page.