Mentor Job Description
 

So I am trying to create a mentor job description for a new team. What do mentors do on your team? Please do not comment on other people's systems, I do not want this thread to turn into that tired old debate; I just want to know what you use your mentor for.

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

On 422 mentor is not a singular task. My role as a mentor is to help with the build aspect of the robot. I help the students take their plans and build something from them. I also teach them how to properly and safely use the tools at the teams disposal. There are other mentors on the team who help more extensively with planning the robot. Other work to chaperone the trips and provide general supervision outside the workroom during meetings. Still more coordinate the various bits of logistics involved in allowing the team to operate. I'm sure there are more mentors whose tasks I haven't even realized exist, but they're still just as important.

Even though 422 has always had the philosophy of having the students as hands on as absolutely possible, there are still so many jobs that are handled by a mentor or three so that the students can focus on learning.

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

This isn't a complete answer but I encourage you to look at this post.

It isn't a thread but a video about being a mentor. It has several well known mentors including Woodie Flowers.

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Re: Mentor Job Description
 

Never,Never tell a prospective mentor what the actual job description is. You need to get them hooked first.:D

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

What should I tell them then?? :)

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

Show them. Invite another team over to show their robots and have the mentors of that team share the experiences show them the work students do. If there are any off-season events near you, invite them to attend with you. If they aren't hooked after that then I don't know what to tell you. For actual jobs I've done everything from chef to a rapid prototyper to gofer to businessman. I help where it's needed but my main job is to encourage the students.

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

Mention sharing their passions with today's youth. Old people loooove that type of stuff. :P

But seriously, mention it. And mention the general things they do... teaching kids various engineering/machining principles; impacting our future; ensuring that one day, we will have flying cars...

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

Read Fredi's article

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...threadid=96694

Good luck with the job description, it can be so many different things....

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

Thanks for the ideas, unfortunately there is only one team nearby, with no mentors to speak of and also no offseasons. I am probably in the most isolated area of north America.

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

This is a topic that could turn ugly... it has been discussed before many times and can get a tad hairy.

there are two sides of the spectrum. on one side, you have mentors that do very little. on the other, you have mentors that do a lot, to the degree of the full robot design and planning. there are many different reasonings behind either method or whatever is in between.

I personally favor it this way:

- mentors teach skills to students initially, from there, they guide students, "pushing them in the right direction".
-mentors can have input on designs but the decision should be the students' vote/consensus. mentor ideas and student ideas have equal merit and value.
-mentors have the same responsibilities as students when it comes to safety; everybody watches out for each other.

in summary, you could say mentors IMHO are like GPS units to the students- they give directions and help you out but the choices on what to do are up to the driver (the student); the gps unit doesn't drive the car.

the reason I see it as the best way is this way the students learn how to design and build things and have something to call their own work. if the robot does poorly, then they learn from it. if the robot does well, they also learn from it. people learn by doing not watching.

I know there are many people who will disagree; I am stating what I see is what roles mentors have in FIRST.

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

Several years ago, I wrote this piece for our team to reflect what a Mentor should be. I call it our "Mentor Mission Statement". It's about the type of person, not necessarily skill sets. It applies equally whether you are a Technical Mentor or not.

Team 1089 Mentor Mission Statement:

The role and objective of a mentor is to inspire students to create, evolve and grow through use of science and technology. By doing so, mentors strive to help students become more than they already are. Mentors teach and guide students in communication, teamwork, and marketing, as well as designing, building, and operating a robot. They also impart life skills that will serve the students not only today and within the confines of FIRST Robotics, but throughout their entire life and professional career.

One mentor goal is to actively share wisdom and knowledge with the students to foster intellectual growth. A mentor exists to coach, teach, and observe students while remaining ready to step in as needed. He or She is expected to facilitate instruction and allow students to do the majority of the work. It is the job of the mentor to nurture the students and create an environment to facilitate the greatest student achievement. A mentor facilitates opportunities for fund raising and community outreach, promoting and spreading the message of FIRST in both team activities and outside engagements.

It is also important for the mentor to provide an atmosphere of open communication and trust where the students are empowered to think creatively, independently, and voice their opinions. A mentor is expected to show trust and respect to every student, while fostering the same trust and respect in themselves. They are expected to be positive role models for students and provide that model through example, as well as strive to maintain a positive attitude and optimistic outlook at all times. As a result, a mentor will have a profoundly positive impact on the students, the schools, and the community.

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

Mentors help guide inexperienced people, they "show the the ropes" of life.

They help people learn new things. They encourage, cajole, help build confidence, teach, etc.

Literally one does not need to be 'technical' to be a mentor.

Think about it for a second, you need a mentor to help you get past this problem.

I once heard someone say that the mentee picks the mentor.

"Mr. Jones, would you be my (our) mentor. You can help us when we have question,......etc)

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

It's one of those "intentionally left vague." Some people put in 200+ hours a season, some people might be there for 20, but some people can have a lot of impact in a smaller time.

I think you might start with asking the question, "Do you want to make a difference?" Have people come and see where they might fall in. Some people will naturally gravitate towards bigger commitments, others towards smaller ones, and some people will stop showing up. You can't really consider being a mentor a job... it takes way too much passion for that.

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

Keep in mind that, as the team grows and ages, the "job description" may change. A brief history of our 5 year old team:

- The first year, the mentors pretty much designed the robot, and were very hands-on. The students worked right alongside us, but we essentially led most aspects of the team. The team was half seniors and half juniors.
- The second year started out much like the first year did... until the students told us we were doing too much. So, we took a step back, worked with them to figure out how much they wanted us to do. We still did a lot of the design, but the students got a little experience prototyping and participated in more of the build. The team was almost entirely seniors (with half of them being new members, too!)
- The third year was really a radical change. The students spent a lot of time prototyping and understanding the design aspects before we started building (Personally, i think it was too much time prototyping). Despite that, some significant parts of the design still came from the mentors. We had 4 returning members, and 20ish new members.
- The fourth year the students really started running the team. This was really the first time we had students on the team who had been around a few years and really knew what the team, as a whole, needed. Again, the students did a lot of prototyping, made all the critical design decisions, and really learned their subsystem of the robot very well. a much smaller set of new members this year!
- The fifth year was definitely our best yet. Every subsystem was "owned" by a different student, and we had an identified design leader for the team, who helped drive the final design and the build season as a whole. The programming subteam, in particular, was so well led by a senior that she practically was a mentor.

In each of these years, the roles and responsibilities of the mentors has been slightly different. We work every year with the student leadership to find the right balance and to let the students shine. I think most of it comes down to experience. When you have students with several years worth of experience, they can do a lot more, and provide a lot more of the leadership the team needs. When you don't, that leadership tends to come more from the mentors. They key is recognizing when to step back and when to help out, which is something that can really only be learned from experience.

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

A mentor shows up. Again and again. Helps with understanding, guides, demonstrates, lends a hand (literally), smiles, lets mistakes be made when they can teach something, shows the hot end of a soldering iron, learns something new everyday and helps students grow.

And then comes back next year and does it all over again.

Hey, I've been to Calgary, it is not that isolated. It's a lot like Chicago but the people talk funny, eh!

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

I really like this train of thought. Another thing to consider is the potential benefits to the potential mentor. For example, I know my school has several teachers from the industry. They come, in part, in hopes of creating a better employee/co-worker in the future. When they realize that they aren't just having a warm fuzzy feeling, but also a direct impact on the world. That is when the job becomes appealing to a person like me. Don't get me wrong, I like the warm fuzzy feeling. I also like seeing statistics about how much better FIRST students are prepared for college and the industry then their non-FIRST counterparts. A mix of the two is really necessary if you want to maximize your results.

Jason

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

I really like this train of thought. Another thing to consider is the potential benefits to the potential mentor. For example, I know my school has several teachers from the industry. They come, in part, in hopes of creating a better employee/co-worker in the future. When they realize that they aren't just having a warm fuzzy feeling, but also a direct impact on the world. That is when the job becomes appealing to a person like me. Don't get me wrong, I like the warm fuzzy feeling. I also like seeing statistics about how much better FIRST students are prepared for college and the industry then their non-FIRST counterparts. A mix of the two is really necessary if you want to maximize your results.

Jason

Re: Mentor Job Description
 

Our company invites employees to a meeting where we are shown a video of competitions and explain what FIRST is about. We have managed to get people involved this way. We have grown to more than 50 mentors from our place of business on more than 20 teams. We also try word of mouth to encourage others to get involved. Once they get to see a match, they are hooked. I have mentored for 4 years and may not be technical, but I can help with ideas during the design phase. I also try to instill the safety aspects and help with behind the scenes work (cleaning, cooking, etc.) The students treat me as family and I enjoy every minute with the students.