Aaron W. Voyles looks at the impact of men’s mentorship.
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Last week, someone left a comment on my column that they did not want to read about mentorship. I did the only logical thing an author would do who received that comment, and I’ve doubled down on mentorship for this week’s post. The reason I have an interest in mentorship is because of the impact it’s capable of having for collegiate men.
One of my colleagues, Logan Denney (2014), has constructed a mentorship model for people in higher education and in our Men and Masculinities Knowledge Community. He cites a set of values for mentorship—intentional in connection, authentic in approach, humble in perspective, accountable in practice, and advocacy in action.
Together, these values create what Denny refers to as “courageous mentorship.” I appreciate that term because mentorship is courageous. Reaching out to another person, often just an acquaintance or even a stranger, and opening up as a listener and guide to that person isn’t easy. For men, one purpose of mentorship can be to highlight positive masculinity and to fight isolation.
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Mentoring is not the same as just knowing another person. The place to start with mentoring is on self and on the relationship, yes, but it also must move past that. Starting with what you each want out of the relationship is key, but accountability to that is the most important factor.
With the students I mentor, I have a plan, they have homework, and we move towards specific goals—be those a job, graduate school, or whatever they wish.
Mentoring is also work. We think of marriage as work. We think of our teams and committees at our jobs as needing commitment and time. Mentorship too requires a lot of effort. It requires us to consistently adjust our expectations, revisit our relationships, and learn new ways to challenge and support one another.
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Thinking with the idea of courageous mentorship, I have some reflections on what’s important in mentorship. My reflections are neither exhaustive nor expert. They are simply some thoughts coming from my previous mentor relationships. I know others who have been mentored or been mentors will have other, more enlightened thoughts as well.
First, remember that a mentee can come from anywhere. I’ve had my worst students become my best mentees. I’ve had it happen because I was the only male role model around, whether I liked it or not. I’ve even had it happen just because I have a beard.
Second, know that mentees need to be challenged. A mentor is not a friend. While I am supportive as a mentor, it’s equally important that I call B.S. when I see a mentee acting out. Sometimes I may let them make a poor decision, and then I want to be there to process. But my job also is to help refine that decision making process.
Third, it can be hard at first to envision the amount of time a mentorship relationship can take up. Some of my mentees this past year took many hours a week. We met every day for certain parts of the semester. It just depends on what’s going on. You have to have the flexibility to shift things around in order to be supportive of your mentees.
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Mentorship has such potential for men. Recently, I had the opportunity to read the dissertation from a scholar named Johnny Smith (2013) in which Smith discusses the experiences of minority males and mentorship programs. His research, conducted at community colleges, speaks to importance of mentorship.
Among Smith’s findings were that participants experienced a sense of belonging, sense of accountability, and positive self-efficacy for learning. If you’ve kept up with Ditching the Dunce Cap, you know that these themes are ones antidotes to a lot of the trends college men have been facing.
And Smith’s study falls in line with the positive effects other mentoring research suggests as well (Campbell & Campbell, 1997). For men who do struggle with socialization, appropriate behavior in college, and gender role conflict, mentoring can be a way to process those emotional and societal contexts.
But perhaps best in Smith’s (2013) work was the finding that men who were mentored were more likely to want to become mentors themselves, which leaves us hope that we can create a cycle of positive masculinity. By mentoring a young man, you create a future mentor yourself. Your courage can inspire the courage in others, and that’s worth the challenge that being a successful mentor is.
Campbell, T.A. & Campbell, D.E. (1997). Faculty/student mentoring programs: Effects on academic performance and retention. Research in Higher Education, 38(6), 727-742.
Denny, L. (2014). 2014-2015 courageous mentorship mentor guidebook. NASPA Men and Masculinities Knowledge Community.
Smith, J. (2013). An investigation of the experiences of minority males participating in the North Carolina Community College system minority male mentoring programs. Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.
Ditching the Dunce Cap is a weekly Friday column from Aaron W. Voyles on the University of Texas-Austin. He welcomes your comments. This column is not affiliated with the university.
—Photo EmsiProduction/Flickr
Also in Ditching the Dunce Cap:
Becoming a Beard Mentor
College Made Me Think I Hated Beer
An Ode to My College Roommate
Vomit. Sorry.
Examining the Axe Effect
When Will You Grab Your Saw?
Do You Know the Mega-Dump?
If the Shoe Fits, Cheat