Mentorship Before Artificial Intelligence

Back in 2016 when I was designing an exam paper for my students, I came up with an idea to write two versions of text that entailed the definition of mentorship with each of them portraying a slightly different take on the topic. The goal was for students to observe, analyze and differentiate the writing styles and the use of language between the two authors, and also to witness the much-needed harmony of grammar and vocabulary when it comes to addressing abstract ideas and opinions in written format.

By publishing both versions of my writing on this website, I humbly hope to share with the world what I think of the word mentorship. But more importantly, this could also provide a timely benefit for the next generation of students in 2023 who may now be relying heavily on AI to generate homework and essays – an opportunity to be reminded of what a human brain can generate if it is armed with the proper mastery of language. This may not qualify as a work of literature but it can certainly inform learners what they can do if their language abilities are at the level of C1 or higher.

Author A

At its strategic level, mentorship is, in fact, the transfer of passion and insight. It means one can never be a mentor without passion in the first place. No mentor sets out to simply become one. Instead, he or she starts with an interest, builds around it, exercises it and successfully nurtures it until it becomes a passion.

Once there is passion, commitment follows which in turn leads to mastery and excellence. With such expertise in hand, one starts to grow, and eventually multiply, insights. Having these, he or she is conditioned, internally or externally, to experience the need to transfer the seeds to someone who would desperately find it beneficial. Once achieved, such transfer instills a sense of fulfillment to the heart of the benefactor. It is further magnified when one finds a better way, sometimes more effective means, to repeat this very process.

Henceforth, one endeavors to develop his or her methodologies to incorporate into established practices in order to create “a better condition” in which those in need can individually achieve a desired outcome. That is, in another word, the very birth of a mentor.

Author B

A lot of people assume that a form of knowledge or skill transfer has to be included between two parties to express ‘mentorship’. If we are to dig it deep enough, we should consider how one becomes a mentor in the first place.

All my life, I have noticed one common trait shared among all mentors – the mastery of some skills or knowledge. Precisely speaking, the ones they are passionate about. It’s an obvious fact but the real question here is whether they reach such mastery because of their passion on that particular skill set or they enjoy to do these because they know they are good at these skills. Which one is the actual trigger? Well, as far as my experiences go, people who had the luck of being exposed to some ‘good’ activities slightly more repeatedly and earlier than their peers are more likely to enjoy these activities, given the same level of learning aptitude. Those with prior experience or familiarity with something are always at an advantage and are likely to learn more on a deeper level than a complete novice with zero exposure. Because of that effect, most of us keep on doing what we are used to. And because we do more of what we are used to, our competency of these familiar skills rises. At the end of the day, whether we do it for our own sake or due to external pressure, we raise our mastery by deliberately exercising the skills. And because we feel good at these, we want to do it more. The cycle goes on.

After this mastery is formed, some of us begin to think more often and sometimes more deeply about the acquired skills than others do. This thinking is essential for getting further insights on a particular skill set. Honestly speaking, these insights are the best bits we get from our mentors. These help us most. Sometimes the impact of these insights are so progressive that we get to feel infected enough with the passion and motivation to set off our own journey. We get inspired.

Wrap it all up, viewing mentors as merely transferring their skills and knowledge is simply inadequate. It is the transfer of insights, passions and inspirations that truly defines our mentors.