Timeline And Resource Guide For Mentors

DECEMBER CHECKLIST AND RESOURCES It’s December and the holidays are in full swing. By this point, your first deadline should be behind you. What a great accomplishment that always is! It’s time to celebrate, evaluate and keep creating beautiful pages. Be sure to remind your mentee to make time to celebrate this incredible accomplishment and then discuss with the editors and staff how things are going. What has been working well and what could be improved with workflow and staff relations? They may have already done this in November, but it’s valuable to debrief after every deadline. Take a quick minute (do it right now) and send your mentee a short text or email asking them how it felt to send that first set of pages and emphasize that the hardest part of the yearbook year is behind them now. Also share any or all of what follows here. DECEMBER CHECKLIST Here are some considerations to pass on your mentee for December. Debrief that first deadline. If you haven’t done it yet, take time with your editors and staff to debrief what went well and how you can improve how you will perform on your next deadline. Reconfirm your page goals for the month. Reexamine your ladder to decide what pages you will send this month and set goals for what you plan to send before winter break. The number of pages you send will be determined by the number of pages in your book and your plant deadline schedule. Remember your ladder is a living document. Mark off the pages you have completed and celebrate.

“ A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.” Oprah Winfrey

Pages in the pipeline for January. January can be a slow month if you don’t plan for success in December. Decide what can be completed in January and get those pages started. For my staff, January was a great time to work on clubs, organizations and academics spreads. AND RESOURCES

DECEMBER CHECKLIST

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