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BlEUncMter Fanning, Saturday, March 1, 1997
Mentoring Program Matches
Students With Agriculturists
DANIELLE WILSON
Special Correspondent
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.)
Fifty-one-year-old Marvin Sander
is back in school. He is neither stu
dent or teacher, but is part of the
newly formed mentoring program
of the Cloister FFA.
The mentoring program is the
brainchild of Mrs. Jodi Brown and
Mr. Ernest Orr, both FFA advisors.
Structured to fit into the Super
vised Agricultural Experience
Program (SAE), a required year
round project, the mentoring prog
ram pairs each student with an
adult who has experience in the
field the student is pursuing.
Brown said, ‘To my knowledge,
we are the only FFA chapter with a
mentoring program.”
Members of the Ephrata Area
Young Farmers Association vol
unteered as mentors. In October,
students met mentors for the first
time when they held a mentor
night.
After the first meeting, students
worked on an approved practice
and budget plan. On it, students
listed projected cost and time
requirements.
These plans were reviewed by
mentors at the next meeting. In
some cases, students were advised
that the costs were unrealistic and
adjustments needed to be made.
Mentors also pointed out details
that students overlooked.
FFA advisor Jodi Brown discusses the
program with a mentor.
Most people assume that FFA
students are from farm back
ground, but many students live in
town or in the suburbs where large
animal projects and crop harvest
ing is impossible. These students
pursue projects such as breeding
rodents, fishing worms, or home
improvements.
Ideally a student should be
matched with a mentor who has
experience in the same area that
the student is pursuing. However,
this is not always possible.
While a mentor might not have
experience in breeding rodents,
Brown said that the basic concepts
and record keeping of buying
breeding stock, feeding, and sell
ing the offspring are adaptable
from breed to breed.
“Your role is to act as advisor,
look over the student’s plans, ask
questions, and evaluate the stu
dent’s work,” Brown instructed
mentors.
In some instances, mentors have
more contact with students.
Andrea Bender made arrange
ments to garden at her mentor’s
(Mary Schantz’s) home. In most
cases, students will not be visiting
their mentors’ homes, but the
amount of interaction is left to the
discretion of the mentor.
Through the SAE projects, stu
dents have the opportunity to earn
awards and make money if their
projects are successful. Incentives
for mentors are not monetary but
many mentors expressed the senti-
menu of Ephrata dairy fanner
Marvin Sander, who said, “My two
daughters benefited from raising
horses. Although it’s an expensive
hobby with no profit, they got a lot
of pleasure out of horses. Now that
my daughters are grown. I’m still
interested in kids and thought may
be I could help with the mentoring
program.”
After the first two meetings,
Sauder is enthusiastic about the
mentoring program.
“I was really impressed with
how much my student knew and
how realistic her budget is,” he
said.
Some unexpected links arose
from the mentoring relationships.
In Sauder’s case, he discovered
that the horse his daughter sold
when she went to college was the
same one that his mentoring stu
dent rode for horse lessons.
“She reminds me so much of my
daughter. It’s fun to be a particip
ant,” he said.
In some cases, mentors see
themselves as parental influences.
Tom Bollinger said to a student, “I
used to tell my sons and I’ll tell
you. You learn the most by watch
ing how something is done.”
This is the second year for the
program. Brown said that 30 years
These are some of the 30 mentors who work with 45 participating
the mentoring program established by the Cloister FFA In Ephrata.
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Brandy Good shows her projected budget to mentor Mar
vin Sauder.
ago, ag classes were much smaller
and centered on traditional agricul
tural projects. With larger classes
and 15 diverse projects, mentors
can help fill the gap that Brown
and Onr do not have time to
oversee.
This is the second year for the
mentoring program. Previous par
ticipants woe asked their opinions
on how the program could be
improved. Problems that surfaced
during the first year have been
addressed and Brown expects the
program to run more smoothly.
One of the most prevalent prob
lems last year was communication
between mentor and student.
Wrong phone numbers and hesi-
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tancy about what was expected of
participants hindered involve
ment This was eased this year by|
Brown iniatiating face-to-facei
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students. j
Mentor Mike Brubaker emptuj
sized that students needed to sed
the relationship between their proj
jects and their career goals. 1
“Perhaps they won’t raisj
rodents as a career. But they cai
transfer the knowledge they gained
in starting and finishing a project;
And, this should be pointed out to
them,” Brubaker said. 1
Participants in this year’s prog
ram will be expected to help next
year’s program’s users.
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