Kacy is a Grenadian immigrant that came to the United States at the age of 10 – a Dreamer. Ever since, he’s lived in Brooklyn, New York and is now an art teacher. Kacy lives for the arts; every day, he does his best to spread his passion for them to the students he teaches. Recently joining the mentor-mentee program at his school, I was able to speak with him about mentorship, what it means to be a good mentor, and what it means to be a good mentee.
“The best mentors have great mentors.”
The recurring theme of our conversation, and the most important aspect of mentorship, revolved around listening. Whether you’re a mentor or a mentee, being receptive to the other person’s feedback is critical to the success of this kind of relationship. This is something that Kacy, now as a teacher, wishes he did better as a student.
“I got a lot of feedback that I needed to be better at listening,” he said. “I didn’t really understand what that meant because I thought I was listening until I started looking at my habits and realized… Am I actually listening?”
He’s taken this to heart as a mentor to his students, ensuring that the collaboration between him and his students is never ignored. It’s this kind of humility that many teachers and mentors alike lack; they are becoming the unreceptive student they hate. Teachers shouldn’t just be teachers, but also lifelong learners seeking mentors of their own. “The best mentors have great mentors,” Kacy said.
However, the mentee has obligations too. Students shouldn’t expect to be spoon-fed information without applying the information they’re learning. Unfortunately, many students that attend U.S. public schools have this attitude, but Kacy believes that teachers giving in to this spoon-feeding can be a hindrance to their learning much like it is for mentees. “it’s not how the world works,” he said. “You only get bits and pieces. I would say that you need to reframe your mindset so that you’re able to be the best version of yourself in the future.”
Mentorship is all about self-improvement by gaining someone else’s more experienced perspective. The question remains: Will you use this perspective to grow?