Mentor Magic: We’re Not So Different

Throughout my years as a special education teacher in the public school system, I’ve worked with many individuals in the traditional school setting who were tasked with learning and applying strategies specifically for the student they were working with. As the years went on and as staff came and went, I realized that that was an incredibly challenging task. Staff often struggled to see past their own preferences, experiences and assumptions of how students ‘should’ be, many of them applying a ‘one-size fits all’ approach to students and were then frustrated when those strategies were ineffective. In turn, the relationship between staff and students was strained or weak, and progress was slow – if at all.

This reality became even more apparent when I joined Islands of Brilliance (IOB) and witnessed the magic of the mentor-student relationship in one of our Foundation Workshops. Students across the board were engaged, communicating, collaborating, and accepting feedback from their mentors. But why? Why were these adults seemingly more effective in working with and supporting a student with autism in this setting than the countless staff I had worked with in the traditional school setting? It's questions like these that we are seeking to answer as part of our National Endowment for the Arts research grant – an opportunity to study the impact creativity has on the neurodiverse community.

We are more alike than I realized.

At Islands, collaborative creativity is being used as the spark for connection between mentor and mentee - and that mutual connection trumps all other universal strategies I’ve seen used in the past.

“I think something I learned pretty early on in the {IOB} program is that there were alot more similarities than differences between the mentors and the kids.” - IOB mentor.

Traditional schooling relies largely on compliance and universal systems that students have to fit into versus the IOB system which puts the creative process at the forefront and allows mentors to adapt their approach to each student, their needs, and skills. That shared connection of creativity is what creates the space for students to grow as an artist, but also as a human being.

“The obsession that some of the children have around a topic or a character, I get that.” - IOB mentor.

Students experience and share their unique interests and skill sets while being understood and valued by their mentor. This in turn leads to an increased sense of self, sense of belonging, and confidence. I can tell you those are not typical outcomes in a more traditional educational setting.

Mentor feedback illustrates the personalized nature of the Islands of Brilliance Approach.

When mentors are asked what they do to support a specific student, we do not get general ‘one size fits all’ strategies but rather thoughtful, intentional approaches to meet THAT specific student where they are at. Some of this feedback sounds like:

“I suggest that {student} take a brain break when he's flustered, showing him one thing at a time and letting him try it himself, pushing him with examples, but making sure he has fun and letting him play around and explore in the software..he's good at teaching himself stuff!”

This says to me that this mentor understands what expectations might be triggering to this student, has navigated how to avoid or defuse those situations, and can see past those moments to prioritize the joy and the process of creating rather than a specific product to be produced.

“I try to make good use of the annotation tool {in Zoom}, it helps {student} focus on where he's supposed to be looking at on the screen and reduces any confusion as to what I am trying to show him. {student} really likes to color in his creations but often gets carried away talking about the creature's backstory, so some gentle reminders on how to stay on task are important too.”

It is evident that this mentor has taken into consideration how best this student learns. So often our first approach as adults is to say all the things we’re thinking and wanting a student to understand. However, this mentor has recognized that that is an ineffective approach for this student and has utilized the technology tools to adapt their support. It is also clear that while the mentor is wanting the student to be in the creative driver's seat and recognizes the preferred tasks of the student, there are still expectations and boundaries that need to be in place for a project to move forward. These are then accepted by the student because there is that shared connection and mutual respect.

“I try to give {student} choices and things he can answer yes or no to and avoid open ended questions. Showing him things and giving him options is important but also understanding his creative process and what he likes to create on his own is equally as important. Focus more on coaching around the practical skills like the process of saving, finding online resources, and computer processes, for the most part he picks up things fast but it is important for him to be able to navigate this on his own.”

What I like about this feedback is that there is not some concrete product the mentor has in mind that the student needs to produce in order to ‘be successful’ but rather understands the student enjoys the experience of creating just as much as the product. It is examples like this where you can see the impact of that shared creative connection - the mentor can appreciate the students' process and does not force them to be any other way. Without that shared connection (and lived experience), the support might look very different for this student.

“I will offer {student} a list of options or a "this or that" instead of asking him yes or no questions. Ask him specific questions about his favorite airplanes and airlines. Offer collaborative celebrations after long and tedious edits. He is very humorous! {student} was very shy at first, but it was so amazing to see him get creative and for me to learn more about the ways in which he communicates. {student} is a very independent worker and once you show him something he is very receptive to that. Setting small "to-do" lists for each class is helpful. He really likes when he was able to 'check' something off the list and gave him an opportunity to celebrate. He tends to look away from the screen a lot, so just remind him to "keep eyes on screen" and maybe plan to set small tasks for him to accomplish each class. He really likes to celebrate and jump from his chair, so I found that he had more focus when there were accomplishments to celebrate.”

I just love this mentor feedback! This particular student has limited verbal skills but at no point is that mentioned as a barrier or a negative in this mentor's experience. Instead they problem-solved and watched for moments of excitement in the process to capitalize on. They saw the value in celebrating the process over the end product.

The beauty of Islands is just that–that there is not an ‘ideal student’ that mentors are comparing others to but rather a clean slate each time and asking, “Who is this student, what can they do, and what do they need?” The rest is driven by a shared love of creating and connecting.

Design Mentors play an integral role in the learning process and have a profound impact on the students we serve.

As a Design Mentor, you have the opportunity to work 1:1 with students to help them bring their creative ideas to life. From the initial stages of sketching and designing through to project completion, they guide students through the process while teaching basic Adobe Creative Cloud skills. You don't have to be an expert—working knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator, along with a love for exploration will do!

If you have empathy, a dash of patience, and a huge heart, you fit the Design Mentor bill.

If being an IOB mentor sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, click HERE!

We’d love to have you.