The Life of a Mentor

Mrs Bhagirathy Jhingran – Humanities Head of Department, teacher, dorm parent – describes to us the experience of being a mentor at the Academy. A mentor in Senior School is the point-person for every student, teacher, parent and dorm parent. They work throughout the year to build a strong relationship with their mentees and provide them with the emotional and logistical support necessary to succeed in the rigorous programme at the Academy.

Mrs Bhagirathy Jhingran with her mentor group, 12 G.“The beginning of a school year is always a fresh slate, a time where our goals are at the forefront of our minds and the bar we set for ourselves is higher than ever.

As a Senior School teacher, I have been granted the opportunity to have a close-knit mentor group, entrusted with the responsibility of helping my group of nine students rise to the top through leadership and hard work. I believe that mentoring is a fundamental form of human development where one person invests time, energy and personal know-how in assisting the growth and ability of another person. 

Each one of the nine mentees under my care this year is a reservoir of energy and a spring of promise. I am consistently engaged with their daily battles, their gnawing concerns and their quiet victories.

We come together in the early morning, where we meet, greet and connect as a group in the lower library. We leave each morning with a feel-good factor, eager to go and take on the day with refreshed enthusiasm. We sit together and we share our joys, along with our sorrows and our contemplative silence.

After a school year together, we become in tune with one another, we know when that one student needs a bear hug, a pat on the shoulder, or perhaps, needs that umpteenth reminder about a submission for school. We are wired into the same rhythm, as if we were one family, yet we shine bright as individuals and we have each others’ support to do so.

As a mentor, my life revolves around my mentees. I hope that I am able to guide them, stand by them, be proud of them and be vigilant for them as they learn from life’s trials and tribulations. I am excited about this role because I get to create a comfortable space for them to come back to, like a home, whether they fail or succeed, whether they are joyful or sad. It's a place where I am always waiting with open arms for them. I am a mother hen, an askari, a teacher, an event manager, a counsellor, an agony aunt and a proud mentor all consolidated into one.”

By: Bhagirathy Jhingran