Mentor Interview

My site visit was today, and my objective was to become oriented with what I was doing, and interview my mentor with a few questions. My mentor is Andrew Fletcher, the counselor at Balboa City School in downtown San Diego.

Owen Jones: Tell me a little about yourself.

Andrew Fletcher: I went to college at The University of Oregon, majoring in psychology. This sparked my interest in the human mind. In college, I was a peer advisor, which made me think about becoming a counselor for my career. After graduating, I moved to San Diego to attend USD for my post-graduate studies. While I was in San Diego, I began interning at public schools.

O: What's a typical day of work like?

A: I meet with each student weekly, so everyday is a little different. I generally stay in my office in between scheduled appointments with students, because students occasionally drop in if they have any problems with class, their peers, and the like.

O: How long have you worked here?

A: I've worked here three years, and I plan on staying for much longer.

O: What kind of personality traits are important to be able to work with Special Ed students?

A: You need to be flexible, helping, caring, patient, caring, open minded, non-judgmental, and empathetic. You cannot be sympathetic though, you have to know what it feels like to be in the students situation, but be able to approach it in a reasonable way.

O: Do you find there to be more rewards rather than just money in this field?

A: Oh, yes, absolutely. I feel as though I make a difference in these students lives and I want to be able to help as well as I can.

O: Thank you for answering my questions.

A: Absolutely.