WISE Mentor at Woodlands HS 1986-90 and Scarsdale HS 1992-2008

WISE Program Consultant David Greene

As one gang member told an interviewer working for sociologist Deanna Wilkinson: “I grew up as looking for somebody to love me in the streets. You know, my mother was always working, my father used to be doing his thing. So I was by myself. I’m here looking for some love. I ain’t got nobody to give me love, so I went to the streets to find love.”

WISE mentors provide that love.

I can probably say that unofficially I have been someone’s mentor since I was still in high school working as a camp counselor in local day camps and coaching either baseball and football from in high schools from 1974 to 2012.

I have been a WISE mentor since 1986.

You can’t say what a mentor is simply as it is defined. Do you give advice to someone with less experience? Sure. Do you counsel them? Sure. Do you help them learn to prepare for upcoming situations and events in their lives? Sure. Most of all you have to listen and develop a trusting relationship.

The first, and most important thing, I have learned from students is how to be a better mentor. It is a natural process. I have learned much about how kids function and how they learn. Difficulties naturally arise with mentoring. So each time I couldn’t reach a student I thought I needed to reach more than I did, I felt I had to try something different until I gained success.

My mentees have also taught me things I never thought I would learn. A few that come to mind are DNA slicing, the inner workings of the New York Times, breeding of dolphins, sleep deprivation, surfer colonies, stand up comedy, hot air ballooning, and making a 5-string fretless bass.

I’ve had so many wonderful WISE mentoring experiences working with students of varying abilities and with a wide range of interests. Bedazzled and blinded by the light of their learning, I have been both amazed and amused. Overall, I have been thrilled at being able to witness the personal growth of the WISE seniors I met, many of whom I still maintain relationships with up to 28 years later.

Finally, as far as advice goes, to be a better mentor you have to become a better listener. Learn how to focus on the needs of your mentees. Be flexible, but be yourself. They came to you because of who you are. Simply understand that you are the mirror.