|
Re: Mentors as Drive Coaches?
As a fairly involved mentor, I believe mentors should NOT be drive team coaches. If this is truly about engaging and teaching students, what greater opportunity for them than by having them function as coach, collaborating with alliance members, etc...on the field.
Over the years I have had to become more involved with our drive team, not to direct the drive team, but to intervene and serve as a buffer to overly zealous coach/mentors from alliance teams. Those mentors "have the strategy" and too often are focused on dominating student coaches and telling them how to win the match, rather than listening, discussing and teaching.
If it is about winning...than mentor coaches maybe the better pathway. If it is about teaching and learning, let the students coach!
It goes beyond coaching though. Too many times I see mentors (aka Woody Flowers nominees) become the center of attention on their teams. They lead the cheerleading, they are first on the field to recieve metals and trophies...
Don't get me wrong. Mentors are a critical and vital part of FIRST and inspiring students...,but they need to be careful not to make this too much about them, but about the students. There is a balance, but perhaps one element out of balance is the drive team. Let the students coach!
|