What is the difference between a professor and a mentor? What falls between?
To me, a professor is someone who tells you what they know. This is oftentimes accompanied by the authority of an institution.
A mentor walks alongside you on your journey. They do not suggest they have all of the answers or tell you what to do.
A guide is someone who points the way, who oftentimes has traveled a similar path.
A coach is someone who helps you achieve your personal goals through listening and educating.
A teacher can be any of these, depending on their teaching style.
Personally, I shift between these, depending on the individual in front of me. Above all, I am a student before I am a teacher. Moving through life with a curious mind has served me well.
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