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Mentoring a Culture of Gentleness
In a nutshell, a Gentle Teaching Mentor is a knowledgeable role model of gentleness for their team. Mentoring is a very collaborative and personal way to help someone understand Gentle Teaching on a deeper level. Mentoring a spirit of gentleness requires that you have an advanced level of expertise in the area of gentleness, and a willingness to commit time and energy on purposeful interactions with teammates that ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’ a person how to be gentle.
A gentle teaching mentor will be able to:
- Work in partnership with the supported individual to demonstrate the use of the Gentle Teaching tools.
- Demonstrate the use of Gentle Teaching tools with their team.
- Explain the central purpose of care giving and how the pillars and tools work together.
- Identify the gifts and vulnerabilities of the supported individuals and the team members to develop support plans and mentoring plans that honour this.
- Recognize their own vulnerabilities and how to strengthen them while working with their team.
- Assist their team in problem solving strategies.
- Use active listening and coaching skills that lead their team to good solutions.
- Assess the presence of the Gentle Teaching pillars and tools with their team and supported individuals.
- Know when to assert their role as a mentor and when to back off.
- Give direction and critique others in a way that leaves the other feeling hopeful and encouraged.
- Respond to the ‘tough questions’ in relation to the central purpose of care giving and feeling safe/loved.
Competencies of a Gentle Mentor
A good mentor provides opportunities for the support person to learn through experiencing strategic moments with the supported individual. Once the moment of learning has passed, the mentor then follows up by debriefing the moment and providing advice and encouragement, all the while serving as a role model of gentleness with teammates and individuals alike.
A gentle mentor’s role is to help a support person identify their strengths and weaknesses in order for them to advance their own gentle skills. This of course means spending one-on-one time with the team member whom you are mentoring.
A gentle teaching mentor is someone that people naturally look up to for answers. They have a deep understanding that Gentle Teaching is not a method of caring for people with disabilities, but is a philosophy of life. And, they are committed to investing time and effort in the mentor/mentee relationship.