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Caveat for Would-be Mentors

While directing the new faculty program at Montclair State, I began to conduct qualitative research by interviewing faculty whose contracts had been renewed but who were still several years from tenure.

Good research almost always yields surprises and this project confirmed my belief. In this case, I call the surprise “the dark side of mentoring.”

In this particular program, senior mentors were assigned four or five junior mentees and were obliged to meet with them, as a group, on a regular basis. Sadly, one group of mentees had discontinued regular meetings with their mentor after becoming disillusioned and disheartened by his behavior.

One member of the group reported: “I have a lot of anger about my interaction with my mentor. All he did was talk and offend and never listen to his mentees. He didn’t want to hear what we had to say at all. He was more interested in blowing his own horn than in any meaningful interaction.”

These bitter words drove home to me the fact that not everyone is a natural mentor. Effective mentors must possess—or acquire—outstanding interpersonal communication skills and a high level of professional sophistication to be able to engage successfully in such a crucial relationship.

Fortunately, like teaching, mentoring is an activity than can be nurtured and developed.

Would-be mentors should seek support through the teaching excellence program on their campus or by talking with other faculty who have successfully served as mentors.

— Gloria Pierce
Montclair State University

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