[Matt Adams]

I was involved in a high school program for a few years before becoming an advisor on team 461.

I'm only going to drop a few lines about this.

First and foremost.. you need to respect the students you're working with. Once you treat them with respect, it will be returned. Keep the following in mind:

Respect is vital to a leader. Without it, no one follows. Title or position will not help it. With it, everyone follows, and title or position are not needed.

Secondly... get to know the people that you work with. This doesn't mean that you need to be best friends, but make sure that you get to know them on a personal level. Ask about their family, tell them about yours. This will make you more approachable if certain situations arise.

Third... treat your position, as a mentor, like you are a servant to the high school students. This doesn't mean you bend over backwards to meet their every whimsical request, nor does it mean that you agree or do everything the want. It means that you make sure you give high school students the chance to get the most out of their time and effort. Make sure that those who want to learn are able to. You can't force every student to be proactive, but you need to make sure that everyone is given the chance. Those who want to go "above and beyond" will do so.

Fourth and most importantly... make yourself a role model. Try to do everything you can with the poise and graciousness that the person you most respect (whoever that is) would do. Don't cheat, don't "push" the rules. Don't lie, don't steal, treat everyone fairly. Don't degrade other team's efforts. Encourage students to their full potential. Don't have low expectations. Place less emphasis on winning and more emphasis on doing things the best you can.

Fifth... give students as much ownership as they can handle. Ensure that every student is given a chance to contribute. Make sure that students are heard, and given a chance to decide on issues that will affect them if possible. Promote leadership.

To summerize... GIVE.

Give respect to all you work with.
Give a listening ear to all that may need it.
Give all the time you can.
Give students a role model they look up to.
Give students the chance to take ownership.

GIVE GIVE GIVE

... and then you'll find that you get it all back about one hundred fold, in ways you never imagined possible.

Matt