Within these four tasks is the opportunity for staff developers to guide the mentorship of others by becoming mentors themselves. These four tasks are examined in this article. The mentor is the linchpin of any formal mentoring programs. The optimal mentor possesses the expertise, commitment, and time to provide assistance. With a little practice by the staff developer, the decision gets easier.
Questionnaires are useful, efficient, and inexpensive ways to collect profile information.
Orientation sessions are commonly held to familiarize prospective mentors with facets of the program. During the training phase, staff developers can use their own professional development plans to decide on the level and types of mentoring involvement they want for themselves. For most mentors, staff developers will serve as role models or coaches, while for a few they may make greater commitments over longer periods of time. One of the first things to be considered when establishing mentor-pairs is proximity. Administrators and others interested in staff development have typically matched mentors and proteges using geographical proximity and similarity of assignments as the main criteria.