Mentoring at YLA

Thank you for considering mentoring at our YLA Scholar School!! Mentors are a critical component to helping us accomplish our vision and mission as a homeschool community.

Great mentoring takes place when someone is passionate, inspired, and dedicated to the growth of each of their students. YLA mentors provide projects or classes based on their own passion, experience, and skills. 

MENTORS OWN THEIR CLASSES

As a mentor at YLA, you own your class, just as if you were offering a class out of your home or through a community ED program. Mentors determine the specifics of their classes, including but not limited to, materials, fees, class size, appropriate age and/or scholar phase. Mentors submit class proposals to the leadership team. Classes are then approved or denied based on scheduling needs, mentor skills, and ability to create excellence in the classroom.

The YLA leadership team is here to support you and help in any way needed. 

Projects and classes may be offered by either: 1) one lead adult mentor, 2) a lead mentor and assistant mentor(s) (adults and/or youth), or 3) a youth mentor and a responsible adult assistant. Each class must have an adult lead mentor or youth lead mentor with a responsible adult assistant. We encourage having at least 1 lead and 1 assistant in each class, however some classes may not require 2 adult mentors. 

TWO TYPES OF MENTORS

There are two types of mentors at YLA: Volunteer and Compensated.

Volunteer Mentors offer a class or project, volunteering their time without compensation (which fulfills their volunteer hours if they are members). These class fees are often lower, as they charge only for supplies and needs for the class. Compensated mentors are offering their professional services through YLA at their regular or discounted tuition costs. They are not paid for through member fees, but through class fees, by those attending their classes. A member mentor can also offer their professional skills through a class at YLA and charge tuition for their services through their class fees, however, those teaching hours will not count for their member volunteer hours.

MENTOR STANDARDS

Mentors may teach as many classes as they feel they are able to commit to and provide a quality experience for. Be mindful of your time, family circumstances, and personal needs when committing to mentor. 

Mentors are responsible to find their own child care during their class time teaching at YLA. We encourage them to reach out to other members and for members to support each other as much as possible. However, if a young child (or children) must come with their parent during the time they are teaching, they may attend class with their parent.

As a positive example and crucial influence over the youth at YLA, mentors are expected to be on time, be present each week, set a positive example and do their best work. If sick or otherwise unavoidably absent, the mentor is responsible to find a sub and prepare a lesson plan for a substitute. Parents and YLA Leadership members are usually willing to step in and help. In an emergency situation, the class may be canceled and students will sit in study hall that week.

Mentors should communicate with the YLA leadership team regarding any needs, concerns or other support they may need. 

PROJECTS & TRAINING

Any topic can be turned into a meaningful Scholar Project! If you are not sure how to do that, we would love to help you. There are also great resources that others have put together so you don't have to come up with anything from scratch, just take their outline, make it yours and run with it! 

 Leadership Education Mentoring Institute (LEMI) offers fabulous mentor training and class curriculums that go right along with the principles of TJED, which YLA is based on. You can read more about them and what they offer HERE.

Another great resource is Curriculum Square. Anyone who has created a curriculum or project can sell their resources here. Many homeschool families and mentors share their class outlines and curriculums on this site. 

The YLA  leadership team will conduct a Mentor Training & Council meeting at least once a semester. We highly encourage mentors to attend.