Grad student advisors: Your mentees lives & work are changing in real time, & concerns affecting their wellbeing may be layered. Some are stressed, others are ok and have emotional bandwidth for peer mentoring. Consider check-in’s with each to discuss several things:
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💵Basic needs
Conferences are cancelled, and money has been spent for them that may not be easily reimbursed. Some students make ends meet w side gigs that may have been cancelled. All of this falls in the middle of debates about grad students’ cost of living. Have the talk.
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Conferences are cancelled, and money has been spent for them that may not be easily reimbursed. Some students make ends meet w side gigs that may have been cancelled. All of this falls in the middle of debates about grad students’ cost of living. Have the talk.
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📈Research progress
Work together to adjust research timelines, find meaningful goals & reasonable work that can be done from home, & ensure everyone’s on the same page about university policy for human subjects & lab research during this time. Extend grace viz deadlines.
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Work together to adjust research timelines, find meaningful goals & reasonable work that can be done from home, & ensure everyone’s on the same page about university policy for human subjects & lab research during this time. Extend grace viz deadlines.
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📓Teaching assistants
Often they are the front line for struggles that undergrads don’t want to bring to the prof, and this carries an emotional burden of its own. Ask if supports are needed this regard, or for the pivot to online teaching. The answer is probably yes.
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Often they are the front line for struggles that undergrads don’t want to bring to the prof, and this carries an emotional burden of its own. Ask if supports are needed this regard, or for the pivot to online teaching. The answer is probably yes.
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🦠Social distancing
Whether separated by geography from family, suddenly thrust into full time child care, or living in difficult circumstances from which campus was a refuge, take care to talk through individual consequences of social distancing.
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Whether separated by geography from family, suddenly thrust into full time child care, or living in difficult circumstances from which campus was a refuge, take care to talk through individual consequences of social distancing.
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🧼General health & wellbeing
Remember situations with high uncertainty can amplify underlying anxiety. Your care & support will not be forgotten!
And of course:
Make sure you have a system for reporting if a student gets #COVIDー19 & that everyone knows the system.
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Remember situations with high uncertainty can amplify underlying anxiety. Your care & support will not be forgotten!
And of course:
Make sure you have a system for reporting if a student gets #COVIDー19 & that everyone knows the system.
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The upshot: As the dynamics of work change & health threats loom, the dynamics & content of our mentoring should adapt with clarity, calmness, problem solving, and compassion. Mentoring with attention to wellbeing has rarely been more important! What is missing from this list?
