A Guide for Mentor Teachers, Supervisors, and Liaisons

Mentoring
 

The term "mentor" dates back to Greek mythology and the story of Odysseus, who left his family for 20 years to fight in the Trojan War.  Odysseus entrusted his possessions and his son, Telemachus, to his close friend, Mentor.  Mentor was given responsibility for the protection, guidance, and education of Telemachus, which required a major commitment of time and energy on the part of both parties.  Mentor taught Telemachus to think and to do things for himself with good judgment. According to Yamamoto ("To See Life Grow:  The Meaning of Mentorship") "there are, to begin with, not many masters in any field of human endeavor.  Of these, only a fraction would qualify as mentors worthy of the name, that is individuals of virtuosity, vision, and wisdom.  First, they need to be able to see a person yet to be born in a would-be protégé.  Further, mentors must anticipate and guide the protégé to see what is yet to be seen.  And finally, mentors ought to see the world they themselves can only dream through their faith and trust in the guided.  No wonder, then, the true mentorship is hard to find." Virtuosity = "ownership of great technical skill.   Technical skill consists of the ability to use one's knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance.  Certainly skills can be identified and taught." Vision = "Perceptiveness, keen foresight, or the ability to be intuitive, supposedly exists in all to some degree.  How much that talent has been brought to the awareness level of individuals is another matter.  Some seem to be acutely aware and display an ability to look toward the future.  Others have not practiced seeing as if with extra sight and are unaware of what is referred to as the big picture.  Exercises in obtaining a different perspective, practicing flexibility, and extending boundaries can bring new vision to even the most myopic person." Wisdom = "good judgment, following the soundest course of action based on knowledge.  Trial and error, experience, and learning from one's mistakes appear to be the path to gaining wisdom.  Perhaps it is one generation's knowledge and values, passed to the next generation, that garners experience that label of wisdom." According to McPartland, "A mentor acts as a coach, much like in athletics, advising and teaching the political nuts and bolts, giving exposure, visibility, and sponsorship, helping open doors to promotions and seeing that you get assignments that will get you noticed.  And mentors take the blame for your mistakes, acting as protectors until you're established enough to shoulder criticism on your own." Lao-Tzu (6th Century B.C.) stated, "as for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence.  The next best, the people honor and praise.  The next, the people fear and the next the people hate.  When the best leaders' work is done, the people say we did it ourselves." Kay (1990) defined mentoring as, " ...a comprehensive effort directed toward helping a protégé develop the attitudes and behaviors (skills) of self-reliance and accountability within a defined environment."