Confidentiality

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Home : 2001 : December : 17

Confidentiality
By sue d.

Thanks for asking! Ours was a paid program for which I had to take a six week class. One of the county rules was that we could only be a 'defender,' and never spill the beans about any problems with our mentees. Of course
you read my complaint on the VENTII, but it's all over now and this was the most confidential way of asking about my issue. Interestingly, even as bad as I wanted to talk about my mentee's problems, I couldn't and didn't. Some teachers came up to me and would ask, "How is she doing?" or "Why don't you tell her to watch her class' noise level?" For this girl, the negative questions

were overwhelming and it was very hard for me to work with her. She never felt she had anything to learn or work on. I myself had a great mentor and still keep in touch monthly. She's like my surrogate mother! Your mentor should keep your problems to herself. This is because she should be there to hear about crummy days as well as the outstanding things you do. If yours is a volunteer, I would ask her up front to help you out by letting you talk about your good and bad days, vent frustrations and ask "silly questions" without the fear of having the rest of the team know about it- even if someone asks. Most mentors would gladly agree to this and feel guilty if they broke that promise. One extra piece of advice: Some problem issues can be solved. Don't be afraid to try the mentor's ideas out. Never gossip outright about coworkers and you should be fine to vent when you want without fear. Good luck this year. I used my email this time if you ever need help this year.