Mentor Circles: Experienced K¹² parents can make all the difference

In our latest K¹²xPotential magazine, we shared some information about what’s new for the upcoming school year, including new opportunities for parents to connect. Many of these programs can’t reach their full potential without the help of experienced K¹² parents.

Many first-year Learning Coaches benefit greatly when they are able to connect with other parents that have "been there, done that". With that in mind, we created Mentor Circles, an online weekly gathering where first-year and experienced learning coaches can create friendships and find wonderful support networks.

For all of you veteran Learning Coaches, take a minute and recall the tremendous challenges you faced during your first year as a Learning Coach, especially during those first few weeks.  Now, think about how valuable it would have been to be able to reach out to an experienced Learning Coach for advice and support whenever you needed it?   I bet you would have experienced less frustration and stress as you learned how to incorporate online education into your family’s life. Our Mentor Circles provide an opportunity to offer support and guidance to newer Learning Coaches.

With those "newbie" Learning Coaches in mind, we are putting out a call for veteran Learning Coaches to join in and share their hard-earned knowledge and offer support to those just starting out.   Mentors can expect to answer questions about getting started, setting up school space, logging attendance and anything else that goes along with having a successful school year.

The program will meet weekly starting in August, switch to twice monthly beginning in November and run through April, 2012. We will hold these ‘circles’ at different times to accommodate the different time zones. And because we know firsthand how busy Learning Coaches are, you can volunteer for a few weeks or the entire school year, depending on your schedule.  

Sounds great right?  Ready to volunteer?  Fill out this questionnaire and we will connect you with a Mentor Circle in your time zone.  And for those first-timers, look for more information on getting support through our Mentor Circles soon!