Magic Mentors℠ share a contagious enthusiasm for learning. Most have compiled exceptional academic records at eminent universities. All benefit from regular consultation with senior Magic staff whose teaching experience spans decades, and includes a wide range of subjects, students, and contexts.
Our primary purpose in mentoring is to engage students in discovering the pleasures of learning, and in becoming self-motivated and competent in developing learning skills and broadening their knowledge.
Mentors practice a threefold approach which includes appreciating the student at whatever level she or he is currently performing, expressing expectations for positive change, and showing how the subject matter and skills in each lesson may be applied to improve the quality of the student’s life, and to contribute to the well-being of others.
A large fraction of our mentoring relationships persist for several years. As mentor and student collaborate successfully, they gain the confidence and trust in each other requisite to becoming a more effective team. We also respond to requests for short-term assistance, as for example, when a student requests temporary support in re-establishing a pattern of satisfactory scholastic achievement which was interrupted with change in schools, teachers, subjects, or family circumstances.
We teach a broad range of traditional academic subjects at levels from junior high school through college to people of all ages. We also teach English as a foreign language. Several mentors have proven adept at taking standardized exams like the SAT and GRE, and enjoy coaching individuals preparing for these.
Mentors typically work with students one-to-one or in small groups. Because our roster for many subjects includes several qualified individuals, we are often able to select a mentor especially suited to the needs of a particular student or group. Mentors travel to students’ homes and schools, or meet with them at Magic or other mutually convenient places.