The sorcerer's apprentice

By examining the role of the mentor as seen in the writings of Carlos Castaneda, Bruce Boston analyzes how current pedagogical practices related to the education of gifted and talented children could be improved. The sorcerer and the apprentice illustrate the mentor/pupil relationship, and characteristics of the mentor's art (teaching from the world to the student) and of the pupil (a willingness to experience) are discussed. The final section focuses on the implications for applying this model to the education of gifted and talented children: rooting mentor programs in experiential learning, matching mentor with pupil, allowing for open ended programs, and basing instruction and evaluation on competencies rather than norms.