Assistant teacher course/Junior mentoring program

Junior mentoring program
A junior mentoring program is not strictlly a necessary part of an assistant teacher course but since this course assumes a hierarchy of pupils, assistant teachers, tutors and mentors an early start at mentoring appears to be in line with the goals of the course and too important to be left out as an optional phase. Even if assistant teachers decide against a junior mentoring program in their own effort the course phase should be seen as valuable.

What young pupils in the role of mentors can do is significantly more limited than what high school pupils can do. The selection of goals for a junior mentoring program should be guided by adult advisors so as to avoid counterproductive effects:
 * A protégé shouldn't learn that a mentor is just a wiseguy who isn't helpful in any way, which could make the child dislike or disrespect mentors in future.
 * A mentor shouldn't learn that mentoring just means being a wiseguy to a disinterested child, which could be a preconception with the potential to impede the future education of the mentor as a mentor.

Literature

 * Mentoring Handbook (Wikibooks)