Mentor Involvement

[JaneYoung]

I like and promote the 'side-by-side, we're in this together' partnership between students and professional mentors.

When I am talking to teams and working with them, that is always a part of what I strive to impart. When I am helping rookie teams develop their organizational foundation, that is what I emphasize.

The respect that can grow within the mutual partnership will sustain the team and open the doors to opportunities for the students that they would have no awareness of otherwise. It also opens those doors to the community and to the FRC program. We see that continually in our Hall of Fame teams and in the teams that strive for that honor.

[smurfgirl]

Originally Posted by BPetry234

I do, you watch. I do, you help. You do, I help. You do, I watch.

This idea is mentioned in a mentoring guide somewhere on the FIRST website... and I think it really reflects the ideal of what should be happening, both with students and mentors. At first, new students need to learn somehow. They will learn from more experienced students, and from their mentors. Eventually they will begin to develop an understanding of what is going on and will gain autonomy in what they can do. They will be able to teach other students, becoming their own kind of mentor. It's a big cycle. Mentors can (and do) learn from students, too. FIRST is an enriching experience for everyone involved.

Let's try not to turn this discussion into the can of worms we know it has been in the past... the exact ratio of student to mentor involvement that works depends on the nature of each team. There's more than one solution that works.

[=Martin=Taylor=]

Originally Posted by BPetry234

One of our mentors put it very well. There are 4 ways to look at it. I do, you watch. I do, you help. You do, I help. You do, I watch.

That’s a great way of putting it.

I've heard a lot of people say over the years that it doesn't matter what system you use as long as the students are inspired... I'll argue that there's really only one way to inspire students....

The way I see it, if the students aren't doing anything they're probably bored. If they are bored, they probably aren’t very inspired.

As a mentor I only do what is necessary to make sure all the students are actively involved.

Whenever an adult does something they are denying a student the opportunity to do that same thing. The same goes for seniors. Let the freshmen and sophomores make the parts. If they mess up. Have them remake them.

Learning is a process of trial and error. If your team is 100% successful, I think you are doing something wrong.

[James Tonthat]

In my opinion, FIRST is about teaching leadership, ethics, and responsibility. Now this may not be the official mission of FIRST but I think it's what it does best. It may teach kids how to build robots but that's not a real skill that students are going to use down the line in their life. I personally wouldn't mind a robot that was 100% mentor/adult made as long as it was led up and directed wholely by students. It really depends on team to team, if a team can teach skills reuseable by students (CAD, CAM, filming, etc.) then I would think it would be the obligation of the mentors to do their best to pass on these traits.

This is my second year in FIRST and my FIRST year as a "mentor" you can see my opinion as one of inexperience or as an opinion through a pair of fresh eyes.

[Steve W]

As this topic has been covered many times as pointed out, i am closing this thread.