be accountable & proactive 

Take an active role as a teacher - don't wait for mentors to reach out. Take note of which student projects haven’t communicated with their mentors and follow up with those students in class.

Work to maintain the relationship.  For many mentors, this is their first time interacting with high school students.

Accountability to the timeline - keep students and mentors on task, advise when to pivot from research to analysis of results to building a strong presentation. 

If a school break is approaching, inform mentors so they understand the halt in communication.

Mentors who are engaged more often will be more likely to be invested in the project.  A mentor has never said that they have received too much communication from a student.  

Not engaging mentors has consequences beyond one student project - they are part of an ecosystem of professionals who want to give back.  Unengaged mentors are less likely to mentor again.  This stifles growth and support of the program.

you have a team behind you

When you have questions, comments, or need some help, there is a strong network here to support you!

Reach out to the ISTC team - contact us about pretty much anything.  We value your commitment and will help troubleshoot any issues.

Mentors - Your student may want to add another mentor to their project. Mentor collaboration to broaden the scope or to address communication issues can help move the project forward. You can contact your students’ mentors in the thread of the discussion or privately through the Participants tab. Click the envelope to send a direct message.

Students - Ask students for feedback - what are they looking for in terms of the mentoring relationship or project feedback.