I liked my English teacher in high school.
I learned a lot from him.
At least, that's what I thought for a long time.
Yet since accepting the hulking fraud which passed for public education, I had to reevaluate my esteem for this English teacher.
Originally, I liked the guy because he was smart, witty, knowledgeable. He was well-read, and so was I. He could quote many writers, many sources.
He also taught me how to write. At least, he was willing to read over practice essays that I had written in preparation for the Advanced Placement Exam in May.
Still, he ran his class like a little fiefdom, much like other teachers did.
I was in his AP class, so I was a motivated student to begin with. When I observed the master at work with the regular students, I cringed. Many of them would talk back, argue, or just refuse to do anything.
Years later, I remember him telling me, a teacher has about as much success with the class of student assigned to him as those students are willing to do. AP students want to excel intrinsically. Regular students have been allowed to depend on someone else to lead them through everything.
This teacher even claimed:
"A teacher cannot make or break you; but hard work will."
So, it was not the teacher who made me, but who provided me a venue to show my stuff.
Students do not need mentors. They need a Spirit of righteousness, of excellence, one which establishes a person of firmer ground than a a job well done, or a high test score on a scholastic test or advanced placement exam.
I realized then that my "mentor" teacher was not all that, nor could he ever be. We must get students free of this nonsensical notion that they must earn the esteem of another human being in order to be successful.