Yesterday was very different: Having been invited to join an awards panel, we adjudicated on who should be recognised in theses categories:
- Mentee of the Year (Key Stage 3)
- Mentee of the Year (Key Stage 4)
- Mentee of the Year (Year 12)
- Mentor of the Year
- Mentor Co-ordinator of the Year.
Without going into the way the activities relate to each other, it is sufficient to state that you don't get deliver high quality mentoring to Learners and Students without engaging capable, enthusiastic and committed mentors who are received in schools, academies and colleges by co-ordinators who are professional, flexible and sure footed. All of this needs to be underpinned and led by high-quality professionals who are capable of imagining, actualising and delivering. Yesterday it all came together as awards were allocated in recognition of commitment, endeavour and dedication.
There are commentators on today's young people who would do well to one day "share a chair" on such an occasion and listen intently to the difference made by dedicated students, in the middle of their course-work, holding down part-time jobs, dealing with new and challenging cultures, making their way in an increasingly hostile and challenging world. I would want them to hear what I heard: passion, determination, humility and purpose in engaging-as mentors-with learners who need an extra input in order to enable them to begin to reach for their full potential. There was yesterday, no place for cynicism: just the acknowledgement of the power of dedication, service and a determination to improve the lives of others through actions.
The drive home along the relentlessly unforgiving M6 is some days better than others. Yesterday was one of the best ever!
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