Passing the Torch

Hey all. I can't say today was too terribly exciting. I was off so my mind was checked out for a good portion of the day. I am down another pound for the fitness challenge, so that's exciting.

I have been thinking about the concept of "passing the torch" a little bit. Part of the reason it came to mind is that the Robotics team had a meeting today where they started the transition between this year's student leadership and next year's. It was only discussions and summaries of what exec position will do next year, but I think it will get some people thinking.

The thoughts on passing the torch have been more inwardly focused. Yes, we will have new students and each year, the leadership will have a different feel, but at the same time, I'm not going to be here forever. Even without the grandiose question of "what will happen after I leave?", I realize that by being here for so long, some responsibilities are going to shift as co-workers come and go. My supervisor also wants to give us opportunities to grow as professionals, so sitting on the same responsibilities for several years isn't really something to always expect. It'll just seem weird because there are some things that I do that I've been doing since I started working here, like certain clubs or even making the online duty calendar.

Passing the torch can be a difficult thing because it involves letting go. However, the burden can be lessened when there is a sense of trust. A trust that your successor will continue to push a group forward rather than letting your progress slip away. A trust that the next person in charge will be properly equipped for what lies ahead. Looking back, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I opted to be one of the mentors for the FIRST Robotics team. It's been an amazing experience, but I've had to learn so much by seeing it happen in front of me. Recently, my supervisor asked my co-workers and me to write mentor binders for each club/organization & substantial collateral assignment. I've thought about this for a while, but I know that a binder for FIRST Robotics would be something I'd constantly be adding to until I moved away from campus. Plus, the environmentalist in me would feel sad if I printed off as much as I plan to write, so it'll definitely be electronic.

I think there is another element of trust that can be more difficult to have - a trust that a leader is not afraid to shape the group to fit the leadership and new challenges. There is something to be said about traditions, but some things are just novelty that really doesn't matter in the long run. If a new leader sticks to these traditions and models without thinking, the group won't have a chance to grow or improve. The yearbook has been under its mentor's magnifying glass for a couple of years now because we are under a publishing contract that doesn't seem relevant to where she sees the yearbook belonging now. It may seem odd in the short-term, but I would love to come back 5-10 years after leaving the Academy and see how the Math Team and Robotics Team have grown and changed. In order to do that, however, I can't try to be a backseat mentor once I leave; I have to let it go, but I will of course be willing to help out.

I've had experiences with passing the torch before, but nothing seems as rigorous as what will happen when I move out of my current position. (Yes, I realize that since this is a full-time professional position, that is bound to happen.) In my senior year of high school, I tried to teach other theater students my system of running a backstage crew for the musical and put a team together that could balance a musical with one-act plays. I had have some experience with that here since I was the mentor for the Improv Club my first year. It wasn't as in-depth as some of my other clubs but I had a go and passed it along to someone else the next year, to let them go at it with a new take.

Of course, a lot of this is stuff I'm just thinking about while writing. Like I said before, I was partially just out of it today since I was off. If this entry was too cryptic, just let me know. I just didn't want to ramble on for too long with filling in all the details and backstories. Well, off to bed I go. Good night!