Mentoring is an important aspect of schooling, although it is often neglected, even by educators themselves.  Although many students often do well without extra assistance, they can do so through extra effort and work on their part.  Many students, however, either lack the opportunity or the will to perform better.  As a result, they often require mentoring in schools.
Many experts also believe that mentoring can make a difference for students who are exposed to unreliable and even risky influences, such as those that push them to abuse drugs, become sexually active too early, experience early pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases.  Some students may also be exposed to delinquency, truancy and even violence.  With the right mentoring programs, exposure of students and other youths from these risks may be reduced or even eliminated.  
Although recognized as an important part of certain academic processes, mentoring remains as one of the least understood practices in many educational institutions.  If not implemented properly, it can become under-utilized, mismanaged or even turn out to be a costly yet ineffective endeavor.  To ensure success in the use of mentoring programs in schools, certain considerations must be kept in mind:
1. Proper planning
The goal of mentoring is to improve student performance in schools and ensure that they are well-prepared for interaction with their social environments.  It is important that an organization understands what they wish to attain through their mentoring programs by ensuring that qualitative and quantitative standards are in place.
2. Goals and objectives of the mentoring program must also be specific and well-structured to allow those implementing it to determine if the procedures are being followed.  This is important if compliance is an issue.
3. Building the core group or staff
A mentoring program within a school will be more effective if a central core of educators is on hand to design, implement, and assess it.  This will help ensure a well-organized program that is easy to monitor and run.

By: Carmela D. Tasis | Teacher III | Sta. Rosa Elementary School | Pilar, Bataan