Chapter 2-Mentors, Myths and Metamorphosis

In this chapter, Dr. Daloz discusses the myths and the metamorphosis of mentoring:

The number one myth that was dispelled in this chapter is that mentors tell people what to do.
That is not the mentors job.


From childhood on, we have had people that look to, to give guidance. Mentors come in all different shapes and sizes. Our first mentors are our parents. As we grow older, we not only look to our parental figures, but to other authority figures, such as a coach, teacher, or community leader. There are also organizations that provide mentoring to kids who don't have any of the above. Big Brothers/Big Sisters is a mentoring organization that provides guidance to kids. As we get into the college years, we start looking a people in a profession we may want to get into as a mentor. Throughout our young adult life, we will have multiple mentors, that we use for a variety of reasons.

Mentoring takes on a similar face with adults also. When a person is mentoring an adult, they are engaging in one on one instruction, and the mentor needs to be aware of the persons learning needs and style.

Personally I like Dr. Daloz's style of mentoring. He is not forceful, or pushy. He allows his mentees to take responsibility for their decisions. To many times, especially with kids, the mentor is more of a director, telling the person this is what you need to do. Mentors need to remember that the people are not rebots, they should be able to make decisions. The mentor is a guide for the adult. They can provide the person with information, but ultimately, the person needs to decide.