: someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person
a : a trusted counselor or guide
b : tutor, coach
: a wise and faithful adviser or teacher
To tell you the truth, I didn't really know the real definition of the word "mentor", even if it is a Greek word. I thought that a mentor is the synonym for "teacher" which is actually correct, but it isn't quite that....
For me, a mentor is somebody who stands by you when you are trying to go further. Someone who gives you advice, from their experience and knowledge.
Who should be a mentor? Should they be young or old? Should they have experience or not?
In my opinion, experience in a field is needed, how would you give advice on something you don't actually know?
Why a mentor? Why not? It is so rewarding to see that people learn from you, avoid mistakes. You see the world from somebody else's eyes.... From a new perspective... This goes for both the mentor and the mentee...
Being a mentor also makes you self-reflect on your own actions, it makes you think.... What would I do in my mentee's place?
In my opinion, a mentor should be a selfless person. Somebody who wants to share. Somebody who is sympathetic to others. Somebody whose only reward is to see other people shine through him or her.
Should we be able to choose our own mentor? Definitely! Not everybody is compatible with everybody. The relationship between a mentor and a mentee is close as it is.
A big thank you to Debora Tepovich for her real interesting questions and views on the subject and the #ELTChat summary on Mentoring
2 comments:
Hi Theodora,
You rise interesting topics in your reflections.
Very often we take for granted we know the meaning of words. While I was familiar with the word mentor, as we use the same word in Spanish, I am still unsure about the difference between mentor and coach. Yes, I got the general difference but ...
I also think mentees should be free to choose their mentors, unluckily this does not always happen.
When you say: What would I do if I were in that position? That is such a good question and approach to mentoring. This is "empathy"
Thanks again and I hope we can discuss a lot together, as we are learning together.
It's a real honor that you took the time to read this!! Mentoring and how to do it is an interesting subject and I hope to learn more from you and all the other wonderful educators in our sessions/group.
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