It's amazing how much you'll learn when teaching others. Ever wonder how teachers got to be so smart in their subject areas? There ya go!
The process of teaching is double sided, both you and the receivers are being taught.

It might sound a bit philosophical, but I think it is comforting and fair to say that every time a mentor teaches and leads, the educational and performance levels of mentor and mentee officiating have risen. However, we can do great damage to a new referee's confidence and add to their confusion, if we teach the wrong thing. The easy part of being a mentor is getting things done in those first 30 minutes, or conducting a pre-game, talking at half time and end of game. The real challenge lies in being sure that what we are teaching is current with the LOTG and the most recent interpretations, along with any local league different applications.

We urge that Mentoring Program Coordinators keep the Mentor crew up to date. Inconsistencies in what we know will unwittingly be taught when we mentor. Mentors will continually get better at their trade on the job...on the run...in and out of games. Over the years, I've asked many mentors if they've experienced noticeable improvements in their own games as a result of teaching the fundamentals to newbies. The response has been unanimous: YES.

Once you are sure that your mentors are teaching the right stuff, let 'em go, give them games with your new referees and you'll have started a positive chain reaction that will last a very long time.A law of physics aptly applies: " ...an object in motion tends to stay in motion..." "...an interpolation would be, "...a mentor's training / teaching ( the object in motion )tends to stay in motion for a very long time..."

Mentors teach when we reinforce skills that we definitely want to see retained...as well as when advising in areas that need work/improvement...
One of our teaching tools is the use of the compliment....to reinforce good performance so that it becomes a habit.

How we handle our own Positioning / Movement / Communication / Signaling is modeling / teaching at the same time. It's important for all of us mentors
to 'walk the talk.' When we do, it is the perfect complement to what we say verbally....putting mentoring into the category of being the ultimate 'win-win' proposition...where everybody wins.