[Rich Kressly]

A mentor, by definition, provides a nuturing environment and, over time, makes themselves progressively unnecessary. Teach the man to fish, always. You may also need to teach about the importance of the fishing expedition to begin with. That being said, feeding an answer or two along the way is OK, so long as that person understands it's a "pay it forward" scenario with gracious professionalim and they will be expected to do the same, in time.

It has to be this way. You can't simply bring another 100 teams into FIRST and have them all asking Andy Baker questions. I'm all for helping people through something the first time, but, as I have told lots of students, "I expect you to make mistakes and need help constantly. Just be sure each time you come to me, it's a new mistake and a different kind of help you need. This way I know you're growing."