Argumentative Paper on Mentoring Task:
In your English class, you have been discussing the pros and cons of
whether schools should
adopt a mentoring
program. Your teacher has shared with you many results from studies that show both sides of the
argument.
The school
board will
decide at their next meeting if a mentoring
program would be
beneficial to students and the
district. You have been given three
sources to
review. You will first read each
source and answer questions based on the sources. Briefly
scan the sources and questions. Then read them
and answer questions. You may take notes to help you
remember the
major points. You may also use
scratch paper for your notes. In the second part of
your
assignment, you will write an
argumentative essay on a
topic related to the sources. Directions for Beginning: Examine the sources and
review
as often as you like. Research questions: After reading and reviewing the sources, use the rest of the time in Part 1 to answer the questions about
them. Your answers will be scored. The answers may also help you in writing your
essay. You may click on the notes
section
or
refer to your
scratch paper as often as you like. They may also be used in both Part 1 and Part 2.
Source #1:
http://www.insidehighered.com/advice
“Why mentoring students is so low on the
faculty agenda…..?” By Russell Olwell, Associate Dean at Merrimack College. The
article begins with a
quote from past President Obama that states if someone becomes
successful they had to have help from someone along the way.
The
author implies that even those who work in higher
education had to have mentors to
inspire them. The question is then posed as to why is the
idea of mentoring put at the bottom of most faculties agendas? According to the
article, professors take up too much of their time with scheduling,
appointments, meetings, and planning. It is also noted that they do not feel
comfortable talking to their students about anything other than the
content of their classes. It is emphasized that students have opportunities for
assistance in
college application processes and scholarships
through
such organizations as Upward Bound and GEAR UP. However, it is
merely hoped that they will have
support from
college professors once they enter
higher
education. There are pros and cons to mentoring as stated in the
article. Some educators feel that the mentoring should be done by someone
other than themselves. Counselors and the
referral process to outside agencies is what most feel is the next step of
support. Students
benefit from
mentoring by discussions regarding their interests outside of the class. By having a
mentor, students can
gain insights into experiences that will
motivate them in their
future endeavors including
research projects, action activities, and
career placement opportunities. The
connection
between the teacher and the student gives
credence that the teacher is
interested in more than just the student sitting in class. The
author notes
that especially those students who are
insecure at school will be
impacted the most. This relates to students who have issues with their
economic
status,
ethnicity, and home-life situations. Research notes that mentors who
cross the
economic and
social barriers while mentoring can be of
valuable influence on students. The
author gives
evidence from
research done in the National Survey of Student Engagement
This
research found that mentoring was best exhibited when students discussed
future careers with educators, were assisted by
faculty members in
activities outside of the classroom, and then supported in their
academic efforts. By doing so,
term-1">long-
term student
success was obtained. Tips to
improve mentoring were suggested. These tips included realizing that as teachers, they are already being mentors to an
extent. Next, it was suggested
that educators listen and
respond to students without interrupting. If students open-up to their teacher, the teacher needs to listen
attentively.
Also, being there to keep students focused on their goals and their
progress in achieving the goals is noted. Working on school-based projects was
another
tool the
author recommended. To
conclude, the
article stated that mentoring was not the end-all for student
success, but a
necessary
component for students to have a better educational
experience.
Source #2:
Review of an
article by Mentoring Impact:
The
article is found on the website for mentoring. The
focus of the
site is to share
information on the benefits of mentoring and
increase
mentoring programs. It is stated that students who have mentors can be ensured of knowing that someone cares about them. Research verifies that good
mentoring relationships
foster self-worth along with increasing
social and
economic opportunities. Unfortunately, one in three students are not
given this chance. In this
article,
statistics are given regarding young adults who were at-risk but had mentors. These are as follows: “55%
more
likely to
enroll in
college 78% more
likely to
volunteer regularly 90% are
interested in
becoming a
mentor 130% more
likely to hold
leadership
positions” The
article states that students are at-risk when their absenteeism is high. Mentoring lowers the rate of absences for students.
(Public/Private Ventures
study of Big Brothers Big Sisters). It also notes that
behavior issues
drop when students have a
mentor. Another
research
noted that mentoring results in a better
attitude towards school, as well. (The Role of Risk, 2013) When considering life outside of school, a
survey was completed that found students with mentors are 46% less
likely to become addicted to drugs and fewer of mentored students drink
alcohol.
More of the mentored students participated in extra-curricular activities, too. Even the rate of students
suffering from
depression dropped when
they were partnered up with a
mentor. Relationships with peers and the school were shown to
improve with mentoring in place. Regarding
careers, the
role of a
mentor assists the student in developing goals and
setting priorities for the
future. Mentors
aide students in choosing
career paths and opportunities that will
benefit the students’ life choices.
Source #3:
Mentoring: Pros and Cons for HRM Dr. Lisa Catherine Ehrich Professor Brian Hansford Queensland University of Technology Although many studies
were done in the 1970’s to show the
positive outcomes of mentoring, the researchers for this paper chose to
investigate possible negative
aspects, as well as
highlight examples of the
positive. The
research cited was completed by the following experts in their field, (Kanter 1977),
(Levinson, Darrow, Klein, Levison ad McKee 1978). On the
positive side, the authors noted that the mentees could
develop into adults
through the
process. The mentors provided
counsel,
guidance and
support. The paper stated that they were, in
fact, “father figures” to those they
mentored. However, the paper states the benefits of mentoring are not easily discussed. This is due to the
diversity of types of mentoring and
mentoring training. Each
situation presents itself differently. Not only are the types of mentoring not readily compared, but the training mentors
receive is quite
different. This leads to untrained mentors being placed in situations they
might not be prepared, trained, or
knowledgeable in. The
focus of the paper appears to be
revealing what the authors
term as “The Darker Sides of Mentoring”. It is here that we find mentors can
suffer from pain
through broken
trust, pain of leaving the mentee, and pain of
failure/
disappointment. (Research by Douglas 1997 and Long 1997). At
times, there is no
organization structure in the mentoring
model that is being implemented. This can
cause discourse, as well. Additional drawbacks
that were cited
include the following: the
inability to
coordinate the mentoring
program with other programs already in
existence, the
difficulty in
convincing administration that a mentoring
program would be
beneficial, and the
potential cost of implementing such a
program. The authors note that
everyone needs to be
aware of the pitfalls before beginning a full mentoring
program.