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Unread 08-02-2006, 23:12
Dr.Bot
 
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Re: For Mentors Only: Inspiring Youth

Ah the gentle art of mentoring. My advice, let them fail.
You gotta suffer if you wanna sing the Blues. We all learn to walk, talk etc. Learning anything is by a trial and error process. I've seen a very experienced team spend 4 hours trying to 'trouble shoot' a 'software' problem, when the RC had a big red trouble light on the 5v supply circuit. (the problem was a shorted sensor. As a mentor, I simply asked them "Well, what does that light mean?" (everyone assured me the light was on as a result of a software problem.)

Eventually they came around to my point of view, but I pretty much let em thrash for about another hour, before they exhuasted themselves and came to the brilliant conclusion that maybe I was right.

Some people (and I include myself) can repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot, and then reload and shoot some more. The mentor's role is then to say sympathetically,
"If you shoot yourself in both feet, your limp will be less noticeable."

If you (as a mentor) are struggling with a problem, don't hesitate to get help from your fellow mentors. Many the time, a fresh pair of eyes can spot the problem that you can't. I've been on both sides of that situation.

Last piece of advice - adjust the trajectory by slight mid-course corrections, instead of waiting to the last possible minute and using up all your reaction mass.
(Sorry for that last bit, too many years working at NASA.)
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