As an activity, mentoring seems somewhere between classroom teaching and volunteer service. It can be the metaphorical glue that holds organizations together and the work that transfers accumulated experiential knowledge from one group to the next. More simply, I see mentoring as the work of making oneself available to others so they can confidently move forward. Often, that confidence comes not from learning something new, but by recognizing and reconsidering something we already knew–a mentor is often just a catalyst in the process.
Taken together, two theories from rhetorical scholarship highlight my view of mentorship. Mentorship is often inventive, sometimes presenting as a problem to be solved and sometimes as the open possibilities at the beginning of a new collaborative relationship. Rhetorical listening signifies a “stance of openness that a person may choose to assume in relation to any person, text, or culture” (Ratcliffe, 17). Mentorship that truly respects mentees must start from a position of rhetorical listening. More often than not, however, mentorship also involves sharing points of view, advice, or resources. As a mentor, deciding what to share relies on understanding what the mentee wants to accomplish and how they might interpret and use new information. In this way, rhetorical velocity or the “strategic theorizing for how” advice and resources “might be recomposed” describes how mentorship requires considerations about future possibilites (Ridolfo and DeVoss). In short, I’d say mentoring requires presently grounded listening and carefully considered sharing presented in a way that preserves as many options for the mentee as possible. What I enjoy most about being a mentor is learning that someone I’ve mentored has succeeded, and feeling that they’ve done it on their own. They just happened to invite me along for part of the ride.
References
Ratcliffe, Krista. Rhetorical listening: Identification, gender, whiteness. SIU Press, 2005.
Ridolfo, Jim, and Dànielle Nicole DeVoss. “Composing for Recomposition: Rhetorical Velocity and Delivery.” Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, and Pedagogy 13, no. 2 (2009): n2.
Professional Writing
Pedagogy Mentor
From 2019 to 2020, I was the pedagogy mentor for the Professional Writing Program at Purdue. I worked closely with the program director, the assistant director, and the technology mentor to support the 25 instructors in the program. I helped organize a semester-long mentor group for 6 instructors who were new to the program.
Technology Mentor
From 2018 to 2019, I was the technology mentor for the Professional Writing Program at Purdue. In this role I monitored and maintained the rhetorike.org websites, organizational email lists, and provided assistance with instructor questions related to instructional technology.
Philosophy Lead Graduate Teaching Associate
From 2013-2014, I was a lead GTA in the Philosophy Department at San Francisco State University. In addition to teaching my own courses, I was a contact person for new instructors roe pedagogy and policy questions. I developed a workshop featuring different approaches to peer response that gained traction in other departments and has carried over into my teaching and mentoring today,
Grassroots Mentoring
When I perceive either the need or an opportunity for collaborative near-peer mentoring, I’m happy to suggest and facilitate group formation. While at Purdue I’ve had the chance to do this at least twice, both times centering on technologies for research. In these settings, I advocate a user group model were participants are free to come and go at any time. Spaces are made for asking questions and troubleshooting collaboratively.