On Conductive World, Andrew Sutton introduced the notion of mentors and mentoring in conductive education. This in turn led to some interesting comments from others.
I was thinking about this when I heard on the news of the visit to Zimbabwe by a group apparently known as "The Elders". (See, for instance "Elders Carter, Annan, Machel Headed to Zimbabwe to Assess Crisis")
I presumed this usage of 'Elder' was linked to the Swahili word 'Mzee', meaning 'Elder' or 'Old Man'. I use initial capitals to indicate that the word was used as a mark of respect for someone who was wise, whose words were worth listening too. Kenya's first president, the late President Kenyatta was widely known in Kenya as Mzee. Clearly this derives from a much older tradition, one in which Elders had a place, rather than what one might be forgiven for describing as the youth-obsessed cultures of 'the West'.
Similarly, the word 'Mwalimu' meaning 'teacher' had strong connotations of respect. Teaching in Kenya in the 1970s, I was known as Mwalimu - which I was, of course, in a literal sense. ( But if I had any doubt that the meaning was more than merely literal, this doubt was swept away when I returned to the UK to a temporary post in a girls' comprehensive school in Newham!) Tanzania's first President, Julius Nyerere was known as 'Mwalimu' - the Teacher. Again this calls back an older tradition that values learning and the one who leads that learning, the teacher, or conductor, too, perhaps.
'Mentor' derives, of course, from Greek mythology, the story of Odysseus. The modern term 'mentor' has much in common with Mzee and Mwalimu: one who is respected, an older professional, a teacher and guide; one whose words are worth listening to.
East Africans would, I very strongly suspect, have no problem with calling Andrew "Mzee Sutton' or 'Mwalimu Sutton'. Andrew, himself, expresses a certain reluctance to embrace the term 'Mentor' for himself. He should not do so. I have regarded him, quite unofficially and entirely without his permission (or, indeed, his knowledge) as a mentor in conductive education matters for years.
Would an international network of mentors and "mentees" (now there is a hateful word) help the growth of conductive education? After all, it is not a necessity to be face-to-face: email, weblogs, forums, social networks, all offer opportunities. Are there others who could be mentors?
