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-   -   Do you use the term "Senior Mentor" on your team? (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86063)

Katie_UPS 11-06-2010 09:56

Re: Do you use the term "Senior Mentor" on your team?
 
Our team recently put a senior mentor system in place like that that rsisk described. Senior mentors hold legal responsibility... Hopefully someone can describe it better for me later...

Renee Becker-Blau 13-06-2010 01:05

Re: Do you use the term "Senior Mentor" on your team?
 
This year on 1675 the older mentors put into place a distinction between alumni who wanted to return and mentor the team and the older mentors. To be a senior mentor you can't have worked with students on the team as a student or in a peer to peer setting. So after 3 years you would be considered a senior mentor, but until then you're a junior mentor. If you're an alumni from another team coming to mentor during your freshman year of college, you would be considered at the same level as the senior mentors.

It's an interesting system, and it seems like making a legal age distinction (21) would be more efficient because most new alumni need guidance as they become mentors for FRC teams, not just alumni from the team. Additionally having the title of Lead Mentor would help the students know who to talk to for help, with out making a huge group distinction.

The distinction between junior and senior mentors also takes authority away from the returning alumni, who may know how to do something (example: use a CNC machine) better then some of the senior mentors, but because of a junior mentor title the students see them differently then the other mentors.

People that are new to teaching and mentoring probably should get help mentoring, but in such a way as to not undermine their influence on the team. How is this handled on other teams?

Foster 13-06-2010 08:36

Re: Do you use the term "Senior Mentor" on your team?
 
We have a Head Mentor that is in charge of our program. Senior Mentors are people with 3+ years experience that are responsible for key areas (Mechanical, Electrical, Programming, Logistics, etc.) Mentors are adults or college students that are working with the team.

I run our VEX program with 8 teams and I'm the Chief Roboteer and the adults that help me are Senior Roboteers, the students are always referered to as roboteers.

I'd guess that if we did custom shirts they would say "Senior Mentor - sab-BOT-age" to keep the FSM confusion down.

KathieK 13-06-2010 09:47

Re: Do you use the term "Senior Mentor" on your team?
 
These are all really interesting reasons for having the term "Senior Mentor" on your teams. Thank you for sharing!

Cheerleader1073 15-06-2010 19:19

Re: Do you use the term "Senior Mentor" on your team?
 
Our team does not use the term "Senior Mentor", all of our mentors regardless of age or years/status with the team are simply "Mentors".

JesseK 16-06-2010 10:15

Re: Do you use the term "Senior Mentor" on your team?
 
We too have "leads" on the team, and have never used the term 'senior mentor'. Often times the mentors are parents of the students on the teams, and the students eventually graduate. Being the youngest long-standing mentor on the team I don't feel right calling any of the other mentors 'senior' (we've joked about it too).

When I still look young enough that a waitress at a restaurant hands me a beer while out with the other mentors and then an hour later asks me what grade I'm in, it feels like bad juju to call anyone senior... (we've joked about that too).

KathieK 11-10-2011 19:20

Re: Do you use the term "Senior Mentor" on your team?
 
This issue has come up again this fall. If you are on a team which is considering the use of the term "senior mentor" please keep in mind that it may be confusing, and you may be contacted for help on some issues! As our FIRST Senior Mentor program grows hopefully people will recognize that FSM's are employees of FIRST and have a specific role in the area in which they serve.

The most recent list of FSM's can be found here along with a link to our bios: http://www.usfirst.org/community/vol...mentor-program
and a listing of the teleconferences which we host for FIRST participants can be found here: http://www.usfirst.org/community/vol...training_calls


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