Email Mentoring Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is this program about?

   Employees of participating companies are email mentors for students through the Be A Mentor Program. The goal of the projgram is to increase student achievement and, in the case of college students, allow industry experts to build relationships with potential new employees. Students learn new skills and connect with mentors who will guide and assist with classroom projects. Students correspond with their mentors via email. The time commitment is approximately thirty minutes to one hour per week.
   

2. What is the duration of the program?

   The duration of the program will depend on the length of the project established by the project administrator/instructor. It will vary anywhere from five to twelve weeks or more.
   

3. Who makes contact first?

   The project administrator/instructor gives each participating student an ID that corresponds to the project. Each student registers on the Be A Mentor web site.
   Email mentors first choose a project and then a student to begin email correspondence with.
   

4. What is the geographic location of the schools?

   This program is available to youth organizations, students, schools, and instructors anywhere.
   

5. Who sets topics?

   The project administrators/instructors develop the projects and formulate goals, objectives, tasks and timelines for each project. In some cases, industry partners collaborate with project administrator/instructor for the development of the project. Mentors are able to chose the project and the student with whom they wish to work.
   

6. Do all of the students want to participate?

   The project administrator/instructor discusses the program benefits with the students and only those students who are interested self register online.
   

7. What if the student asks a question to which the mentor does not know the answer?

   It is likely that the student may ask a question that their mentor cannot answer. For example, the question, "Why is the sky blue?" could involve a detailed discussion of reflection of the sun's light in the earth's atmosphere. Not many people would be able to delve too deeply into that one. The mentor CAN refer the student to a variety of websites that would lead the student to talk to someone knowledgeable of the subject matter. For example, the mentor could refer the student to Stanford University's website. Stanford's Dept. of Aeronautics and Astonautics is at http://aa.stanford.edu/. Several faculty phone numbers and email addresses are listed on this site. There is a good chance someone in this department could steer the student in the right direction or refer the student to a website discussing the question.
   

8. Can you respond from an alternative email account other than the one provided?

   Mentors are notified on their personal or business email that they have a message from their student. Likewise, students are notified that they have mail from their mentor. The actual messaging is on the Be A Mentor website. Student/Mentor messaging may be monitored for the saftey of the student.
   

9. Do the students and mentors ever meet face to face?

   All mentors for middle and high school students undergo a criminal background check (fingerprinting) and a tuberculosis test, as mandated by the State Educational Code. Therefore, if teachers, students, and parents consent, it is possible for face-to-face meetings. For college level projects these issues are negotiated on a project-by-project basis.
   

10. Are certain search engines and sites blocked that the students cannot access?

    No.
    

11. Is there a choice in the age, gender, geographical area, etc. of the student?

    Yes. Student profiles will be available to e-mentors which will allow them to make a choice.
    

12. Is the email to be used in an extra-curricular, advanced, remedial, or just some normal class activity?

    Normal class activity in most cases. The primary purpose of email mentoring is to have adult email mentors assist students with instructor designed projects. For college level projects these issues are negotiated on a project-by-project basis.
    

13. What kinds of companies will support this program?

    Companies of all types, large and small, participate in email mentoring. Please check the Be A Mentor web site home page for some participating companies.