Four reasons to consider becoming a peer mentor

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In a peer mentoring relationship, a student guides and supports a younger student through a shared area of interest. Peer mentors often help with schoolwork, provide advice on social issues such as peer pressure and bullying, and generally serve as role models to their mentees.

Mentees gain many benefits from a peer mentoring relationship, such as improved communication skills, increased confidence, and solid, grounded advice and encouragement. But what's in it for mentors?

The following are four reasons students should consider becoming peer mentors:

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Develop friendships

Students who participate in peer mentoring relationships widen their circle of friends and have more opportunities to create contacts for networking purposes.

Influence other people's lives in a positive way

Mentoring is a great opportunity to help others. Peer mentors benefit from the personal satisfaction and sense of fulfilment they get from seeing their peer mentees achieve their goals with their guidance and support.

Enhance leadership skills

Peer mentors act as their mentees' leaders and provide information and advice on a variety of issues, from academic to social. Peer mentors typically encounter situations that call for organizing, action planning, problem solving, and motivational skills.

Become well-rounded individuals

Research suggests that peer mentors have improved self-esteem and become more compassionate and empathetic to others. Peer mentors also develop or enhance conflict resolution skills, and improve their communication skills.

A good peer mentoring relationship provides both mentors and mentees with a solid support system and numerous opportunities for personal growth and development.

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Hugh Guill is an educator from Texas. For more articles on education and mentoring, subscribe to this blog.

Teaching tips: How to promote diversity and tolerance in the classroom

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An increasingly diverse population, reflected in student groups, has resulted in a need for teachers to pay more attention to the issues surrounding diversity and tolerance.

The following are some steps that teachers can take to promote multiculturalism and acceptance of individual differences:

Make the classroom a safe space. Teachers can start by establishing ground rules against bullying, teasing, exclusion, and other actions that are harmful, disrespectful, and intolerant.

Learn about each other. Teachers should take the time to get to know their students as individuals, and students should also be given enough time to get to know each other. This will help both teachers and students gain appreciation for how “uniqueness” brings added value to classroom dynamics.

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Encourage openness. Allow students to ask questions about differences. The teacher should respond to them respectfully and use own life experiences to place the answers in a context that can be easily understood.

Go on a field trip. Field trips to culturally or religiously significant places can broaden a student's worldview. In addition, research has shown that field trips can increase tolerance and improve historical empathy, or the ability to see a person, situation, or idea from the past through another person's eyes. Historical empathy encourages critical thinking and allows students to appreciate the consequences of actions made in the past.

Learn about each other's traditions. Teachers can plan classroom activities for cultural and religious holidays, and create opportunities for students to learn more about traditions beyond the scope of their own experience.

Teachers, in general, want their students to grow up in a caring and inclusive environment where tolerance is the norm and where skin color and religious beliefs do not hinder them from achieving success. Unfortunately, discriminaton still exists. Educators have the opportunity to turn the tide by teaching their students to go beyond tolerance, and not only accept differences, but embrace them.

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Hugh Guill is passionate about making a difference in the world through education. Subscribe to this blog for related articles and news.

The perks and pains of distance learning for students

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 Through advancements in information technology and better access to the Internet, students can now learn and get a diploma from the comforts of their own home through distance learning. This is totally different from the traditional teaching-learning system because there is no direct contact between the teacher and the student, a setup which raises some advantages and disadvantages.

Flexibility is the main benefit of distance learning, allowing the student to choose any topic (as long as it is related to the course being taken), set the studying pace, and learn how to motivate himself or herself. It’s also very convenient and saves time and money; a project or exercise is sent via email or dropped off at the post office, sparing the student the commute to campus. In addition, the study materials become artifacts (whether on paper on in a CD) that future students can access anytime and anywhere.

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However, because distance learning does not involve direct interaction, teachers cannot give input, share their experience, and offer support through meaningful face-to-face engagement. Students need to rely on their own grasp of a topic, and such independence could be overwhelming to some. And without classmates, learning can get very lonely.

These drawbacks might affect a student’s learning curve and motivation, and could ultimately lead to laziness or disinterest. The courses and subjects offered are also very limited.

The effects of distance learning depend on a student’s learning abilities and attitude. This could work if a student is highly driven and has a strong work ethic but with a very busy schedule. If the student, however, thrives in social structure and personal interaction, then regular school is the right learning environment for him or her. Either way is alright, as long as the method chosen can lead to better options for higher education.

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Follow this Hugh Guill Twitter account to participate in or read discussions on distance education.

Educational, fun, and free: Three great apps for children

Smartphones and tablets are popular gifts to children, especially during the holiday season. Parents can maximize the educational potential of these gadgets by using apps to transform them into learning tools.

The following are three of 2014's best free educational apps for children:

coIAR mix

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coLAR mix is a coloring book app that uses augmented reality (AR) technology to deliver a unique 3D experience.

Parents and educators download free coloring pages from the app's website, have the children color them in, and scan them through the iOS or Android device's camera. The app will then bring the picture to life with 3D animation and sounds, with the colors that the children used. The app is a great way to encourage creativity and engagement among young students.

The app will only work with the coloring pages provided on its website or through in-app purchases.

Hakitzu Elite: Robot Warriors

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This app, available for on Android, iPhone, and iPad devices, teaches older children the basics of coding in Javascript while battling animated robots. Children can either play alone or battle it out with their Facebook friends in multiplayer missions. No coding skills are required: in-game tutorials take players from “beginner” to “hacker,” the highest level. Successfully writing lines of code gives players customization points, which they can use to purchase better weapons and robot combinations.

Reading Rainbow 

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Based on the hit educational TV series from the 90s, the Reading Rainbow iPad app is designed to instill a love of reading among children of all ages. Through the app, children can select e-books from a library of more than 300 titles, arranged by topic on themed virtual islands. Children can read the book themselves or have it read to them. They receive a sticker reward for completing a book.

Children can also watch video field trips, hosted by Grammy award winner LeVar Burton, or play games or participate in reading activities. The app is available on iPad and Kindle Tablet, and the app and the first five books selected are free. For more books, users have the option to subscribe for $9.99 a month, $29.99 for six months, or $49.99 annually.

When choosing educational apps for children, parents and educators should keep in mind the child's developmental abilities and learning levels, the accuracy of the educational content in the app, and whether the app balances education with entertainment.

Follow this Hugh Guill Twitter account for discussions on educational apps for children.

Education toward youth empowerment

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Every child has the right to get good education. Parents, communities, and governments are also aware that when children are educated they become aware of their rights, choices, and the confidence to work around those points for their own welfare. Education makes children self-sufficient individuals who can work their way towards a successful livelihood.

However, there are still millions of youth around the world that are missing out on education, making them vulnerable to aggression and oppression. Therefore, youth empowerment through education is being promoted by advocacy groups as a sustainable response. The Community & Individual Development Association (CIDA) believes that a blended approach to education is one way of giving children the education that will protect them.

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Founded by The Maharishi Institute, the blended approach utilizes the combination of technology, distance education, and contact education. It also employs a consciousness-based education system that helps learners finish school with enough skills necessary to qualify for the jobs they desire. Consciousness-based education focuses on the students and not solely on the learning materials. The system connects the knowledge gained to how the students relate to that knowledge, and how it is applicable to their surroundings.

Investing heavily in education can lead to economic gains. But that is only a byproduct of the primary goal of nurturing a sense of well-being and the protection of rights for the youth.

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Educators like Hugh Guill study the civil rights issues surrounding the equal standard of education for the youth. Like this Facebook page to access more resources about this matter.

Enriching lives: The benefits of mentoring

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Mentoring is a professional relationship wherein a more experienced person, the mentor, imparts his or her knowledge to and guides another, the mentee. Unlike a traditional coaching system, a mentor acts as role model, and a mentorship relationship focuses on both short and long-term professional goals.

Mentoring occurs in a variety of environments, such as in businesses, faith-based organizations, and schools. 


A mentorship relationship has advantages for both mentors and mentees.

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For mentors, teaching and guiding others help build their confidence and facilitate their own professional and personal growth. Mentoring can also help enhance skills in leadership, management, and communication. The experience can also help reinforce knowledge on the subject being mentored, as well as provide an opportunity for mentors to be recognized for their skills. On the practical side, being a mentor is a good way to enhance one's resume while bringing about a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction at having made a difference in another person's life.

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For mentees, a mentorship relationship provides an opportunity to learn from the experiences and knowledge of an experienced person in their field. It can provide mentees with an opportunity to gain valuable, unbiased advice and constructive criticism, and identify and develop necessary skills needed to succeed. Mentees will also be able to hone their personal and communication skills while creating useful contacts and expanding their professional network.


Hugh Guill has experienced the benefits of being a mentor first hand. He credits his college experience as a mentor to a student in his community's public school for sparking his interest in education. After graduation, he became a classroom teacher in the Denver public school system with Teach for America, and rose to the rank of dean within three years.

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