Am I mentor?

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Cheermaster111

This is a question that I have been trying to answer this past year. I am a alumni from Team 111 WildStang. I graduated in 2009. This past year I returned to WildStang to lead the student section of our Strategy Team. Basically I help got the students organized for competitions and help them decide on what data we want and how we want to collect it. I also help them stay focused at the competitions. Do I classify myself as a mentor or just as a volunteer? I know I am legally not chaperone since I am only 19, but do I deserve to be called a mentor?

You have been a mentor since your second year on the team in my opinion. Maybe not an adult mentor but as a returning student I am sure you were admired by new students and I hope you helped to pass your knowledge on.

HOWEVER, I would suggest, for your own benefit, that you help out a different team. Take it from me, every single team is different, they have their quirks. Being exposed to different ways of doing things can only expand you as a person.

[Chris Hibner]

Originally Posted by The Lucas

Yup, you are a mentor now. If it feels odd now it gets even weirder when the last student who "knew you as a student" graduates. Then you are old . Happened to me a couple years ago.

Dude, you don't know feeling old. When I started in FIRST (way back in 1997), I was a fresh college graduate (in 1996). I was only a few years older than the seniors back then and I could relate pretty well to the students.

Fast forward to this year when I had the realization that we have students on our team that weren't even born when I started mentoring in FIRST. Now THAT makes you feel old. Yuck.

As bad as that makes me feel, I can always take comfort in looking at my good buddy Ken Patton and saying, "how's it going, old man?"

[Wildcat]

welcome to the world of mentoring

Originally Posted by EricLeifermann

Being a mentor doesn't have an age requirement. As long as you are positively influencing someone you could be called a mentor and a role model.

^true, during build season i had to "student-mentor" some of the rookies on my team, was a good experience

[Chris is me]

If people call me a mentor, then you're a mentor.

Even though you're helping out your old team, I'd still call you a mentor. Maybe qualify it a little with "college mentor" or something, but you aren't a student nor are you acting as one (I'm assuming).

[ATannahill]

Yes, you are a mentor. Grab your pin and get back to inspiring youth.

[ErikEdhlund]

Thanks for everyone's responses. I would go and mentor for another team, but college has me drained on money as does traveling for FIRST. lol WildStang literally meets maybe 5 min walk from my house so it was the best choice for me. I hope to see you all in Atlanta. I will be the person on WildStang with the fedora with the pins on it.

[Daniel_LaFleur]

Originally Posted by Cheermaster111

This is a question that I have been trying to answer this past year. I am a alumni from Team 111 WildStang. I graduated in 2009. This past year I returned to WildStang to lead the student section of our Strategy Team. Basically I help got the students organized for competitions and help them decide on what data we want and how we want to collect it. I also help them stay focused at the competitions. Do I classify myself as a mentor or just as a volunteer? I know I am legally not chaperone since I am only 19, but do I deserve to be called a mentor?

Each team handles things differently.

Are you a mentor? strickly going by the definition of mentor, you've probably been one for some time now (probably long before you left high school). Teaching and explaining things to others makes you a mentor.

Are you a FIRST mentor, on your team? That depends on the teams philosophy about returning teammembers and college students. I know on our team, we have a yearlong period (call it a trial period or whatever) to ensure that those who want to be a mentor understand the level of responsibility/time/effort/etc without the full obligation (some find mentoring overwhelming while others find it invigorating). We call them a team resource, FIRST would call them a mentor.

So are you a mentor? TBH, once the build/competition season is finished, your students are probably the best ones to answer that.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Erik,
You have been a mentor for a while now. Whenever you give guidance to a someone else you are mentoring. We let you mentor on electrical for years. Every time you showed someone how to insert a PWM, strip a wire, crimp or solder you were mentoring. You were making us proud at the same time. Our mentoring roles had rubbed off on you. Now you are mentoring without us looking over your shoulder. You and John are making us proud every time we see you working with students and making a difference. You and the strategy crew impressed me very much last season and you are doing a great job this year. Remember that when we win awards, you are still part of the team. When one of our students wins an award, you were part of the process. We are proud of you dude. You are doing what we hope for all the students. Going to school, helping others, making commitments and standing up in the community. You may not notice but we are smiling.

[Ed Sparks]

Erik,

The greatest reward you can give your mentors is to become one. Looks like you have accomplished just that. Keep it up .........

[Rion Atkinson]

So I keep seeing insight from your fellow mentors of his. How about some insight from a student's frame of reference?

As many people have said, you have been a mentor for many years now. I was in the show the other day when one of the second year student on the team looked up at be after cutting a part I had asked him to and smiled. But it wasn't any smile. It was the smile of an accomplished person. Someone who had just done something worthy to be proud of. I sat there for a few moment thinking, "I thought him that. And now here he is, on his own, doing work I was doing last year. I can have complete trust in him. Is this what it feels like to be a mentor?" I realized in that moment, that no matter what it takes, I will go to college, I will get a job in engineering, and I will mentor a FIRST team. (Maybe not in that order. )

That being said, our team captain last year graduated. He was the only team captain we had ever had. (two years) I was voted into his position to do a job I had never done before. Who did I turn to when I needed help? Him. He had returned this year as a college mentor, along with one other student who graduated. To me, the best mentors are not those who have vast amount of knowledge that they could smother you with. The best mentors are those that work along side you, build that relationship, and when you need them; they are there. To me, he is the best mentor I have ever had. And he Erick, is the exact same age as you, and in the same position.

So to me, your answer is yes.

Hope that helps,
-Rion

[klrswift]

Originally Posted by Daniel_LaFleur

Each team handles things differently.

Are you a mentor? strickly going by the definition of mentor, you've probably been one for some time now (probably long before you left high school). Teaching and explaining things to others makes you a mentor.

Are you a FIRST mentor, on your team? That depends on the teams philosophy about returning teammembers and college students.

I agree entirely. You are by all means a mentor. To give a perspective on what a mentor is, I found this on Wikipedia: "Mentorship refers to a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person." I think that is a pretty good definition of mentoring.

Now, whether you are a Mentor (note the capitalization) is really up to your team. I typically consider a Mentor to be an adult (out of high school) team member who consistently mentors the team. On our team I would probably consider you a mentor.. The way you describe it, you seem to have a specific area that you can identify that you mentor, and you have made some kind of connection with the team members.

I like to think of Mentors like Coaches on sports team. Anyone who helps you improve coaches you, but there are designated Coaches. I wouldn't consider parents that bring dinner, take pictures, or hang out and be sure no one cuts a finger off to be Mentors (or mentors). If "Mentor" isn't a carefully used term, it can dilute its meaning within the team.

[Alivia]

As essentially everyone else has said, I must agree that you are indeed a mentor.

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

HOWEVER, I would suggest, for your own benefit, that you help out a different team. Take it from me, every single team is different, they have their quirks. Being exposed to different ways of doing things can only expand you as a person.

I would definitely agree with this (although I understand your predicament with lack of money to do so). The team I mentor now is not the team I was a part of in high school, and the two are very different from each other--but in a good way. It definitely helped me grow as a person to experience being a mentor on a team with students I never met and fellow mentors I didn't know. I feel like I'm making more of an impact than I could have if I stayed on my first FIRST team, only because the distinction between student on the team and mentor on the team would not have been as clear; students with whom I was on the team and worked alongside for years would turn into students I was mentoring, and that would have been difficult.

Besides all that, I think it's great to expand your reach and knowledge to other teams who might need your help and mentorship. I had a "mentor moment" this past weekend at Boilermaker in which a student told me that they could not have done Chairman's if it wasn't for my help. I was so proud of my team that I can't even express in words how much they mean to me as a mentor. I was humbled by the student's words, and glad that I decided to reach out my expertise to another team who could benefit from my skill sets.