[nehalita]

I think Stephen brought up a lot of good ideas.

I think what is happening is that the teacher likes exerting her power over the students and so "her decision stands." She wants to sophomores to work on the project but I feel she's going overboard.

Maybe you can talk to her and turn things around. What I mean is, still make her think that you guys are "mentors" but become more like "team leaders" (as Stephen suggested). That means you are "mentoring" the students but are apart of the team as well. Or you could say that you are concerned with the monetary decisions and feel that the "mentors" should look over the decisions before they are carried out. I keep on putting "mentor" in quotes because that's what she will think but in reality, you guys are team leaders.

Also, you need to think how you are going to approach your teacher. Maybe an upfront confrontation wasn't the best way (maybe it was, that's for you to determine). You might want to try a written request first, signed by the seniors, so she has time to read over what you are saying and think about it (there are no interruptions when it is written on paper) and you can discuss it afterwards. Or maybe she isn't a written person but is more likely to respond to someone of authority -- I would suggest getting a parent involved.

The second thing you must do, like Stephen suggested, is have a meeting with ONLY the sophomores. Let them know how you feel. Tell them they seem lazy to you but let them fight back. In the end, if they don't seem to accept what you say ("WE ARE NOT LAZY!") then just say "so prove it." Let the sophomores say how they feel as a team, too -- they don't like you guys "taking things over" so maybe they have a better idea? Maybe there are a few things that can be changed. If they are completely unwilling to cooperate, say that "as mentor" you want their team organization on paper: who does what, how they communicate, etc. If they want to grow up, tell them to do it and see what they come out of it. Even if they opt for this option, see what happens... they might be able to pull together after all and make your job more enjoyable or they will realize that they need your help after all.

Finally, you might want to appeal to someone of higher authority. Your teacher being late is no excuse and at least someone else can let the teacher know that this is not acceptable. Maybe you will get a better teacher because of this.

I hope you are able to fix some things with your team. Keep us updated, I'm sure many others are having the problems you have and can learn from your situation.
You are always welcome to come here and ask for help =).

Might I suggest someone putting this in the Team Organization Forum