Prathibha Mangedarage

HONORS 401
Mentor philosophy paper
What is a mentor? What does a mentor do? Can anyone be a mentor? I went into my
mentor philosophy class with all these unanswered questions.Before taking HONOR 401Developing mentor philosophy, I had my personal opinion on mentorship and did not realize
how broad the subject of mentorship and leadership were. Throughout the course, I have been
learning about mentorship and practicing my leadership skills. Through what I learned in class
and the readings, I have also been able to develop my own mentor philosophy. From the
readings, I learned what knowledge means. By establishing the meaning of knowledge, I started
to think of what ways knowledge can be given or rather shared. I also learned more about
wisdom, judgment and perception. These concepts play a vital role in mentor philosophy.
Knowing more about these important concepts I have been able to get a clear picture and idea
about my mentor philosophy and what kind of mentor I want to be.Knowledge can be defined in
many ways. Knowledge is the knowing of things through observations, perception, and
experience (Plato, 1992). Knowledge consists of not only what we have learned in schools and
textbooks but also what weve learned from observation, experimentation and experience. I
believe that understanding this helps in mentorship. My philosophy is that all mentors should
encourage their mentees to learn through experimentation and experiences. Mentees should be
encouraged to ask questions but also need to be equally encouraged to seek answers and
knowledge on their own when possible.
I believe that the real world consists of problems that the text book solutions wont
always solve. Mentees need to be warned or informed of this. They need to be taught that the real

world consists of diverse experiences and problems that only experience based knowledge can
help solve (Dewey, 1938).
From reading the pattern of inquiry by John Dewey, I learned that not every experience
leads to education. Educational outcome of experience depends on the quality of the
experience (Dewey, 1938). From many past experiences, like being an orientation peer mentor
and activist at the MNSU Womens Center, I have learned that what one learns from mere
observation and what they learn when they actively participate in a particular experience are very
different from each other. Mentees need to be encouraged to actively participate or best attempt
to make the best out of real-world experiences in their lives to gain knowledge and gain the
hands on experience that will help them in similar situations in the future. Teaching them that not
all experiences are connected is also an important responsibility of a mentor. Past experiences
cant always be expected to be similar to those of the present. As a mentor, I would always make
sure that the mentee is aware of this and doesnt not react to situations the same way they did in
the past without critically thinking and judging the present situation.
This philosophy also applies to when giving advice based on a mentors experience. That
is, a mentees experiences are not always going to be similar to those of the mentor. I believe that
a mentors advice should not always be based on what they went through or experienced in the
past. For example, I would not always advice or expect my mentees to do what I did or would
have done in a similar situation in the past. The world changes every day. The way people see or
perceive the world changes every day as well. With this peoples opinions and attitudes towards
the world change. Therefore, advising a mentee to repeat an action or strategy that worked years
ago might very well be very bad advice.

There are some important concepts in mentorship that I believe in like self-awareness,
self-regulation motivation, empathy and respect. I believe these concepts are vital to mentorship.
What these concepts mean and their importance in ones mentor philosophy might be different
but I believe that they all should be components in every mentors philosophy. In my mentor
philosophy, I identify self-awareness, empathy, respect and motivation as the key factors.
Being able to recognize my moods and emotions and their effects on others especially my
mentees is an important concept to develop in order to be a mentor. There can be situations
where a mentor can get frustrated with a mentee or with the process of mentoring someone. If the
mentor doesnt recognize this emotion and let it affect her judgements and actions as a mentor,
their mentorship might not benefit the mentee. Assessing these mentorship related emotions
properly can help build a strong mentorship relationship. If the mentor is aware of their
emotions, they are better able to communicate them to their mentees in a positive. For example,
if a mentor is frustrated or angry and take that anger out on the mentee, that mentorship
relationship might not last too long. But if the mentor is able to recognize their own frustration
and deal with it without doing the mentorship relationship, like discussing it with the mentee
could help strengthen their relationship.
As a mentee, motivation is a concept of mentorship that I always expect from my
mentors. I often get frustrated with mentors that do not support or motivate their mentees. This
frustration has made me include motivation in my mentor philosophy. I believe that encouraging
mentees to be consistent with their hard work and passion is important in building their self
-confidence and helps them pursue their goals. Having a positive attitude and conveying that
optimism to the mentee is an important factor in a mentorship relationship. I also believe that a
mentor needs to continue motivation even in the events of failure. Failure can make one lose

their enthusiasm and can push them towards giving up. It is the mentors job to encourage the
mentee to keep going. Having confidence in the mentee and not giving up on the mentee is
characteristic of a good mentor.
I also rank empathy as one of the most important factors in my mentor philosophy. The
ability to understand a mentees emotions and feeling is the basis of a good mentorship
relationship. Even when we do not fully understand ones emotions, it is important to understand
where they are coming from and being respectful of their emotions is vital to a good mentorship
relationship. In the process of learning to empathize, a mentor also gets the opportunity to
connect with their mentee. This can in turn help with deterring what is best for them. This can
assist immensely in the process of guidance and advising. When a mentor really knows their
mentee, it can help them determine the best ways to help them and mentor them.
Another factor that I value in my mentor philosophy is respect. Different people come
from various different backgrounds. May it be cultural, ethnic or economic, ones background
and how they were brought up is what makes them who they are. Respecting a mentees
background, emotions and their personality is a major factor that decides the future of a
mentorship.
I also want to include my personality into my mentor philosophy. I believe a mentorship
relationship should also be enjoyable and non-stressful. A mentor and a mentee both need to be
at ease in order to discuss goals and plans. A mentor needs to enjoy mentoring as much a mentee
enjoys getting mentored. For example, if talking to your mentor or having a discussion with your
mentor is an added stress, it can only affect your career in a negative way. So, I definitely want to
incorporate my personality into my mentor philosophy.

My mentor philosophy is based on no only these key concepts that I learned in class but
also past experiences I have had with mentors. My mentor philosophy will not only help me be a
successful mentor but also help me gain more as a mentee from my mentors. I hope to become a
mentor that cares for their mentees on a personal level and mentor with respect and empathy. I
hope to practice self-awareness and motivation and become the mentor that changes a mentees
life in the most positive way possible.

References
1. Plato(1992). Thaetetus. William, B. & Burnyeat, M. (Ed). Indianapolis, IN: Hackett
Publishers.
2. Dewey(1981). The philosophy of John Dewey. McDermorr J. J. (Ed). Chicago. IL.
The University of Chicago Press.