Imagine Hope - Jan 2021
The Mentorship Relationship:
Zooming Through the Holidays
Imagine Hope is a one-year blogging project being undertaken by Caitlin Newby as she engages with Imagine LA at the deepest levels and shares her experiences and reflections.
As we roll into 2021 and my year of documenting my involvement with Imagine LA nears it close, I thought it time to reflect once more on my mentorship experience. It’s strange to think that a year ago I was out and about in the world and hadn’t yet met my sweet mentee and her family—and stranger still to consider how much our mentorship relationship has grown and evolved since we first met on Zoom eight months ago! Of course, we are all now used to meeting with colleagues and catching up with family virtually, but it is wild to think that some of the relationships we have sustained via FaceTime or Zoom were also formed on those very same platforms.
I had hoped by this time that my mentee and I would have met in person and spent a handful of afternoons playing in the park or reading together at the local library. Instead, we have played together from the safety of our own homes. My mentee and her little sister have enjoyed showing me their gymnastics and dance moves, and often instruct me as if I am their YouTube “audience.”
We have also recently begun to draw together via Zoom. My mentee has delighted in showing me her drawings from school—she drew an impressive picture of The Grinch during her last week of class—and from the winter holiday. There was one particularly poignant drawing she made of her first grade class: she is sitting between her two best friends as her teacher instructs them from the Zoom whiteboard. Though she says she doesn’t miss going to school, it was clear to both me and her mom that she misses her friends and teachers! She is so resilient; it astounds me every time we meet.
When we got together last week, my mentee was so excited to tell me all about her Christmas. Though it has been a subdued holiday season for all of us, I was concerned that hers would be less full of joy because she could not see her friends and extended family. But there was no less joy in her than any other seven-year-old at the holidays; she danced in front of their tree to the twinkling lights and showed me the dolls and dresses that she received on Christmas morning. In the midst of change and loss, the holidays still sparked an unmistakable joy for her.
We also talked about the new year ahead and all the things we were hoping for. Sure enough, my mentee wanted COVID to be “over” so she could go back to school and be with her friends! I, too, hope this year we can all get together with our friends and loved ones without hesitation or fear. If anything, this past year has surely made us all realize just how much we value spending quality time in the real-life presence of one another—even if it has to be at school!
