In most forms of media, the
reader or viewer will encounter a character of a specific archetype,
known as “the mentor.”
The purpose of the mentor character is to guide the protagonist, (or
protagonists) and teach the
necessary lessons they need to learn to overcome various obstacles
throughout the story.
However, sometimes the mentor also becomes the sacrificial character,
either to
protect their students or
for a greater good. Common examples of this archetype include
biblical
characters such as Moses,
Jesus, Elizabeth, and even God himself in some instances served as a
mentor.
In modern media, mentor
characters include Zordon from the long lasting Power Rangers
series, Obi
Wan
from Star Wars, Mufasa
from the Disney film The Lion King, and
finally Mickey Mouse and
Master
Yen Sid from the popular video game franchise Kingdom
Hearts. The mentor character
also
serves
to assist in the growth of the main characters, with the latter
sometimes becoming mentor
figures
themselves. This archetype does not exist merely in fictional media,
but in the real world as
well, as
humans are constantly being taught by others and passing down the
knowledge they learned. I
write
using personal experience, because in my lifetime I have been both
the student and the mentor,
being
taught by a man who grew up facing adversity in his life and has had
many years worth of life
lessons
to teach, and as that knowledge was taught to me, I would soon pass
on the knowledge to a
young
woman who was but a few months younger than me.
When I
was of the age of twelve, I had become a student of what was formerly
known as
Oregon
Trail Junior High School. Thinking this was a chance to begin anew
once again, I had tried
constantly
to make friends and strong bonds with other students. However, with
the exception of a few,
the
students I attempted to make friends with harassed me and teased me
mercilessly, with one instance a fellow student grabbed me so tight
he left a series of bruises on my arm. Because of the
bullying I faced, I was beginning to wonder if I was going to remain
forever alone without a true
friend
by my side. At that moment, I met a man who would soon teach me that
I was not the only one
who
faced adversity in life. This man I met faced adversity growing up on
the streets of New York,
having
to spend most of his childhood working to make ends meet. In his high
school years, he
participated
in various sports such as football, which allowed him to obtain a
scholarship to Ottawa
University after his four years of secondary education. After his
education in Ottawa, he became a
science
teacher and football coach, eventually becoming principal of Oregon
Trail Junior High School
in
Olathe, Kansas.
Years
later, this man became a part of the staff of the Olathe School
District's North
Lindenwood
Support Center and a member of the Olathe Optimist Organization. In
2005, he became
the
mentor of a frail, young, adolescent boy who had faced typical middle
school troubles of his own
such as
being excessively bullied and harassed by his fellow classmates and
peers. The man taught the
young
boy various life lessons such as the value of education, the value of
hard work (going even so
far as
to offer him a part time job assisting in restocking vending
machines), and the ability to take
action
and stand up for himself. That boy the man took under his wing almost
seven years ago was
myself.
With the knowledge and wisdom I obtained from my friend and mentor, I
was able to grow
stronger as a person and step out of my comfort zone as well. Because
of his teachings, I gained the
courage
to stand up for myself and not allow myself to be harassed that
easily, even though the
harassment from others kept coming more and more. From the man, I
gained the tactics of ignoring
what
the person is saying, being witty and reflecting their cruel jokes
back at them, which kept me safe
in the
years succeeding my first meeting with him. Three years after our
first meeting, I was promoted
from
Oregon Trail Junior High School to Olathe Northwest High School,
where I would meet a young
woman
who would soon become my best friend, my girlfriend, and my own
student to pass down the
knowledge
my teacher passed down to me.
My
student has also faced a bit of adversity in her life, just as I have
and my mentor before me.
At the
age of eighteen months, she was adopted by a family living in
wyandotte county at the time.
Soon
after, her parents adopted two more young children, one a year older
and another six years
younger
than she. Like myself, she was always curious about the world around
her, wondering daily
about
the mysteries of her own life.
At age
fifteen, like myself, she enrolled in Olathe Northwest High School.
We first met in our
Physical Education class after I nearly tripped on my shoelace on the
track (I was not good at shoe
tying
as a kid, and I was in a hurry that day because I was still getting
used to my class schedule).
When we
introduced ourselves, we could sense we were both nervous as we were
both the first friends
of each
other at our new educational institution. As our friendship
progressed, we began to teach each
other
various life lessons, her teaching me not to be so serious and be
more open sometimes, (as I was
not a
big fan of asking for too much at the time and usually kept my
emotions locked and hidden from
others,
due to years of facing harassment at Oregon Trail) and like what my
mentor taught me as well,
to
stand up for my beliefs and goals. I taught her what I was taught as
well, the value of education and
a
strong work ethic, setting goals and dreams for the future, as well
as teaching her to use her hidden
potential.
Like with my mentor, we acted as a form of support to each other. For
example, in November
2009, a
family member of mine pulled a stunt that upset me for about a week.
I was so upset for that
week, I
would not talk to anyone, let alone my own friend and student. She
approached me one day in
the
morning before school and just looked at me. She then reached out to
me and hugged me while
saying,
“everything will be okay, we are all here for you.” The funny
thing was, she did not even know
what
was going on, and I tried to keep a silent smile while hiding my
anger at the betrayal of the
family
member who hurt me and broke my heart only a week before, so I spent
the day wondering
how she
even knew I was upset the past week. There have also been a few times
when I have been
there
for her and helped her out, such as when she learned a guy she had
feelings for was the same guy
that
was harassing me in my eCommunications class, which was a huge shock
for her as she was oblivious to what had been happening. My hope is
that someday, she will pass on the knowledge I
taught
her down to a student of her own, and that student of hers will
continue the cycle.
These
two have expressed, (quoted from my grandmother) “knowledge beyond
[their] years” to
the
point where they have been known to express high signs of
intelligence. After all, my mentor was
also a
science teacher before becoming a principal of my former junior high
school, and my student has
the
potential to be in honors courses during her college years, which is
her academic goal as she
prepares to start college and study criminal justice. I consider
these two part of my emotional support
group,
knowing that I can ask them advice and they will not judge me
whatsoever. I can engage in a
mature
conversation with these two and express my opinions on a situation
occurring in the world,
whether
it may be political, economic, or international, such as my strong
democratic opinions and my
strong
religious beliefs. Like I have said before, with these two, I have
been able to grow as a person,
physically,
mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Many
people may wonder about these two, “where are they now?” My
mentor retired in 2011
and is
now living peacefully with his wife in Gardner, Kansas, though he
occasionally visits the
Walmart
in which I am currently employed at. Matter of fact, his most recent
visit inspired me to write
this
essay as it made me think of his teachings and how I passed them down
to my own student. My
student,
however, has also relocated and is now experiencing her first job and
is preparing to study
criminal
justice.
