The Importance of Mentoring in Your Back-to-School Plan

By Melissa Kersjes

Seeing My Potential

One of my favorite teachers in high school was Mr. Cornell. He taught English, journalism, and a handful of other writing courses. I distinctly remember a moment at a parent/teacher conference where we were talking about plans after high school, and he told me, “You’re a good writer. You should look into a journalism major. Even if you don’t pursue that, it will sharpen your writing.” 

At this point in my life, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I loved reading and writing, but I also loved science and psychology. I was completely overwhelmed by possibilities and had no idea what to do next. Mr. Cornell seeing potential in me and naming a strength of mine set me on a trajectory that led me to where I am now. I’m the Content Manager at Fusion where I write in numerous capacities and give voice to the stories of lives changed by Fusion. I love what I do, and if it weren’t for that small moment of mentorship, I’m not sure what I would have chosen for myself. 

When I think about the work we do at Fusion, I’m so grateful our students have those mentoring moments all the time. Our teachers get to see and encourage the potential students have in each and every class because they’re one-to-one. I can only imagine the incredible futures they have ahead of them.  

Mentoring at Fusion

At Fusion, we don’t just have teachers, we have teacher/mentors. If you sit in on one of our one-to-one classes, you’ll see why. The first Fusion class I sat in on started with a check-in because the student wasn’t at school the day before. The teacher/mentor asked how they were feeling and if there was anything they wanted to talk about before they dove into the material. I was so impressed by this moment of connection. With one question the teacher/mentor made the student feel seen and cared for. 

This happens in each class. Students are going to connect with some teachers more than others, but at all times they know they have a team of caring adults on their side that care about their well-being and academic success. In our Education Impact Report you can see the power these positive relationships have on students:  

  • 97% of Fusion students feel that teachers listen to them and treat them with respect 
  • 92% of Fusion parents agree or strongly agree that their child is academically engaged at school 
  • 94% of Fusion parents report that their child feels comfortable at school 
  • 83% of Fusion students feel comfortable being themselves 
  • 87% of Fusion students feel that the adults on campus really care about them 

Back-To-School Support

After multiple difficult school years, students are going to need additional academic and social-emotional support as they head back to school. Fusion offers tutoring and mentoring all year long, but we have a special tutoring package this summer called our Back-to-School Boost. It is comprised of ten tutoring/mentoring sessions that are customized for whatever your child needs and is available at a special price of $600. This tutoring package is perfect for students who want to fill content gaps, build a foundation for the fall, refresh their minds on important concepts, strengthen study or executive functioning skills, and more.  Click here to connect with our admissions team for more information or to sign up. 

If you’re looking for a new full-time school environment that prioritizes mentorship and social-emotional learning, we are also enrolling for Fall 2022. Connect with us here to get started.  

About the Author

Melissa Kersjes

Content Manager

Fusion Education Group

Melissa Kersjes is the Content Manager at Fusion Education Group. She holds a bachelor’s in English/writing and journalism and previously worked in marketing for a local radio station. Melissa has been with Fusion for eight years and what fuels her is the stories of lives changed by Fusion’s personalized approach to education.

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