Perhaps one of your family members has been a Model and Mentor for you???
Great response, Jeri! You developed an "Intelligent Heart" from all of the Models and Mentors in your life and now you are giving back.
Well, it seems cliche to say my mother has been my mentor. But, if that's okay, then I would say it has been her. She has raised me to be the woman, professional, mother, and wife she strived to be.
Be sure to thank your mother. She may not be aware of what a wonderful Mentor she has been.
Dr. Pace,
Parents would be the first mentors in my life leading as they always have by example. The first mentor I encountered outside of home was my high school Auto tech teacher Mr. Adams...we referred to him as Doc Adams and Dad Adams more often, no doubt because of his connection with us as students like a parent, leader, coach etc...IE a Mentor. I remember the care, time and attention he gave all of us in auto class mixed with the real life stories of his successes and failures which inspired me to success. He always had a positive attitude no matter what happened on any given day.
When I got out in the field I worked with an older technician who mentored me in the shop. He too spent the time even though he was flat rate and potentially lost money while helping me. The friendly, yet professional and real way these gentlemen helped me to learn and then hone my craft sticks with me today.
I always tell my students the first rule is attitude...make it good, negative doesn't help anyone. When the work is tough or life is hard, just take a deep breath and move forward...slow forward is still progress...
Every cloud doesn't have a silver lining, because some are gold or platinum...
In the words of Yoda, "There is no try there is only do...or do not.
I encourage students toward success because of the examples I had the good fortune to experience in my life.
As a new instructor I was fortunate to have begun working with several experienced instructors who were and still are a great help to me. At times being able to gain guidance from an experienced instructor is necessary for my instuctional skill development.
Over the years I have had several teachers that have influenced me, starting with two in high school, one a business teacher that actually had the nerve to show that I was not the dummy that others had told me that I was. While I was in the military there were several mentors that helped me thru many rough spots in my education and since then in various classes that I have attended there have been people that cared enough to follow up and ensure that I was absorbing what was being presented. This is the type of instructor that I have attempted to model myself after. I care that a student is not in my class, so I try to follow up on each absence, if a student has a low grade, we talk and I try to find out if it is the way that I presented the subject, or if the honestly did not get it. I make myself available to the students for tutoring or just talking about the subject to clear up some points, both in the classroom and in the labs. I have tried to teach by showing the correct way and encouraging the student to practice something until they are comfortable and can do it correctly every time. So far this approach has been succesful for me.
I also was mentored by my athletic coaches and credit one in particular that really encouraged me to compete on a national level. Without his involvement in my life that wouldn't have been possible. It wasn't as if he was my personal coach either. He was involved in the whole team. It's amazing how much we affect our students without even knowing it.
They say we only have about five true Mentors in our lives and we never forget them.
Sounds like you have had some great Mentors and now you are passing it on to your student!
Joseph, great wisdom and advise! Your students will always remember you!!!
I can not recall ever having a mentor.
My biggest mentor was my Uncle Matt Mehok. Uncle Matt taught me the value of a positive attitude, which I try to display to all of my students. If your students believe what your teaching has great value to them it is easy to keep them interested in class. A positive attitude about your topic tells the students the topic is of value to them.
My art teacher in high school was very student oriented. She took time to spend with everyone who was in her class. She would sit and talk and discuss what project you were doing at the time. I remember I had done a huge pointilism, which is art with little dots versus painting,(it gives it a better effect)and when I was finished she told me I should enter it in the art contest. Wow, the art contest? I never would have dreamed that it was that good. Well, sure enough, I got first place, a blue ribbon. I will never forget that as long as I live. I realized that a smile and her confidence in me, made be hold my head up a lot more.
I had the "anti-mentor". I grew up on a farm with merciless beatings from my Grandfather. As soon as I was old enough I joined the Army to escape it. I had a number of good NCO's that showed me how things could be, without the beatings. I know first hand how damaging negitivity can be. I vowed to stay positive with myself, my family and now with my students.
My first IT network instructor turned out to be a mentor. He got me to take a class one semester, then teach it the next. This influenced my decision to stay in technical training, for it came easy for me.
In a diversity class I had in college our prof was a hardened marine corp captain. the man could look at you and make you tremble if he so chose to. But the way he lead us through his cirriculum and the manner in which he taught made everyone in the class really take a long look at themselves and those around us. you knew he cared about us as students, you knew he was going to see to it that you did your very best and believe me he brought the best out in all of us in that class.
Most mentors that I have looked up to in the past shared their stories about their work experiances, said hello to every one every time and really tried to make sure we understood the material being presented to us. They were always available for questions and truly cared about me learning experiance.
I had a high school coach that also played a big part in my future. In a conversation one day, he said he could see my love of the game. I responded by saying that I wished I was better at it than I was. I was the guy who played every position but never found a home. He told me that my versatility was extremely important to the TEAM.I had never looked at it that way before. To this day I aim to be as versatile as possible; not only teaching multiple classes, but teaching each class in different ways depending on student needs.
I never really thought of people who influenced my life as mentors but I guess they were. They took the time to care when no one else did. That connection is something that can last a lifetime. As an instructor it feels good to make a diffrence in someones life.
