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The Oregon Surveyor
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Vol. 39, No. 5
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By Greg Crites, PLS
So You Want to Be a Mentor?
From the Editor
T
here’s been quite a bit of discussion within this
magazine regarding mentoring. Primarily in hopes
of attracting and retaining replacements for the bulk
of licensed individuals in our midst that are on the
verge of retirement. Readers of this magazine are
well aware that we seem to be standing at a critical
crossroad in our profession. On the one hand,
we’re facing the aforementioned shortage of land
surveyors, but we’re also facing a perceived crisis
of relevance. Mentoring has been suggested as one
remedy for this situation. Before we throw our hats
completely into the ring getting behind this idea,
some thoughtful discussion needs to occur regarding
implementation.
Switching gears for a bit of perspective, I’d like you
to think back to your own educational experiences.
Particularly regarding who among all the teachers
you had that represented a positive experience,
leaving you with the feeling that you actually learned
something. I may ruffle a few feathers when I say that
frankly, some of the folks I had were unsuited for the
classroom, yet they were there, and it seems we, as
students, had no recourse if we felt their skills needed
to be challenged. From a very simplified perspective,
to become a teacher, at least through high school,
generally required a college degree, one with a focus
on education, surviving an internship to see whether
you exhibited the qualities necessary to be successful
in the classroom and most importantly, whether peer
evaluations indicated that you had what it took to
teach (notice I left out student evaluations). If you’ve
suffered through undergraduate courses in college
where the instructor was a graduate student with
limited or non-existent teaching credentials, you
clearly understand that your intelligence is
not
a free
pass to qualification as a teacher. Personally, I believe
a system that evaluates qualifications for teaching
that ignores the opinions of the students is seriously
flawed, if for no other reason than how the system
that is currently in place doesn’t weed out those folks
that have no business in the classroom.
Okay then, who among us is
qualified to serve as a mentor?
Who will make those decisions?
Considering the perceived
importance of this role, don’t
you think it’s incumbent on us
to make certain that we get the right folks in front
of future surveyors, hopefully insuring their desire
to continue along a land surveying career path, and
perhaps encouraging them, by example, to take a
more active role in professional activities? Frankly, I
don’t think the possession of a professional license
is a guarantee that you’ll make a good mentor. I do
believe that with the number of folks retiring from
this profession over the next few years, there is
certainly a wonderful pool of candidates to draw
from. What we don’t have is an agreed upon or-
ganizational structure that evaluates suitability,
identifies the means and methods to place qualified
mentors where they may be needed or desired, and
coordinates an ongoing program to make certain
there are mentors available (I’ve heard rumors that
someone among our ranks has been working on
this, but I’m not naming names). This should raise
many questions about how such a system should
be structured, who should participate and most
importantly, how we make the public aware of such a
program? After all, a mentor can also serve as one of
the most effective ambassadors for this profession.
I think I hear the word “outreach” somewhere. Isn’t
that what we’ve been talking about, and how we all
sense its importance? I think it’s time to quit talking
about a mentoring program and develop an effective
means of implementation. If you feel the same, let
your voice be heard. Talk with your local chapter
officers and share your thoughts for how this might
work. Having a bunch of lone wolves out there who
are performing outreach activities without being a
part of a larger, coordinated approach, diminishes
our ability to be effective. Let’s get this party started!