Getting your fellow mentors on board

[marshall]

Honestly, your first mistake was starting this discussion on CD and not with your fellow mentors.

Your second mistake is not having this discussion with them now. Talking to the Internet means people can (and will) respond with "LOL... HAR HAR... MENTORS BUILD ROBOTZ" or "On my team, we have the students turn all of the screwdrivers".

And discussion with your fellow mentors does not mean just talking to them. It means asking them to talk to you and listening as they explain their methods and concerns.

EDIT: To be clear; teams should be having the discussion about the role of mentors and students as regularly as is productive for the team. It's important to have an understanding of what it means to be a team.