Friday, March 13, 2009

Graduate-Level Mentors

View:
http://graduatelevelmentor.blogspot.com/2009/03/academic-mentors.html#comments
Return here and share your views concerning when is it necessary for Graduate-level mentors to resign?

9 comments:

Deborah Cole said...

It is necessary for Graduate-Level Mentors to resign when they no longer have a deep commitment to encouraging and mentoring learners. To resign as a Graduate-Level Mentor should not be viewed as a failure because everything has a shelf-life. The key is to recognize when one can no longer make a difference.

Denise Outlaw said...

I believe that any career may be difficult to leave; however, feedback from students that are being mentored may be a good indication. If the level of frustration is high and the students are not successfully completing their degrees, this might be a good time to review effectiveness as a mentor.

Earl Murray Jr said...

A graduate level mentor will be as successful as the student learner's effort. A college education is a challenge and overwhelming for some students with the complexity of economics both personally and professionally. Sometimes the expectations of earning a degree do not link up with the challenges one faces. The graduate level mentor will be in contact with students who may not meet the daily learning challenges he or she faces. This does not suggest failure exists. The success lies in a 110% daily effort to mentor positive student learning outcomes. Sometimes success happens and other times the mentor is unsuccessful yet success in trying to make a difference with a student.

CGrey said...

It is necessary for graduate level mentors to step back when they no longer feel committed the student’s success. I have had the pleasure of having exceptional graduate mentors who understood and supported me in my educational journey. The focus on the mentorship was on the mentee, on the mentor. When a mentor loses this vision and focuses on his/her own paths is when a mentor needs to either reassess his/her role in the mentoring process or resign this position.

Dr J said...

A graduate level mentor should possibly resign when you hear the mentor comment "I have mentorship down to a science". Mentors should recognize that individuals are unique and the approach is different for each student as it relates to mentorship. There are basics as it relates to mentoring but the application of the process should never be considered uniform.

James C said...

Interesting question. I find this really impossible to answer in a unilateral manner. The doctoral experience is a 80/20 type of partnership. 80% learner and 20% mentor. The desired end state is difficult to achieve when either side does not make the required academic contributions. So, when should the learner or the mentor resign? A resignation should be considered in those situations where either party is not making progress towards the desired goal for reasons attributable to an individual or the collective team. A dissolution of the team should be undertaken when the learner in another setting could get the work done and ultimately making their contribution to the academic universe.

Dr. Luster said...

Graduate-Level Mentors should resign when they are longer motivated to assit a learner. Resigning is a sign of self-awareness. Knowing when to leave a situation creates a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Higher Ed Researcher said...

I concur with most of what has been said, a Graduate-level mentor should retire at the first sign that they are no longer passionate about helping other achieve their goals. As Earl stated, " a graduate level mentor will be as successful as the student learner's effort." When a mentor is not able to move on with enthusiasm to the next student after a challenging experience with a student, this may be another indication that it is time to do something else.

Dr. Nellie Deutsch said...

I believe making such decisions will benefit everyone because closing one door opens many more. If you feel that you're not happy with your job, resign.