Ch 8 & 9

“To get the most from their relationship, a mentor and a mentee need to plan together to determine goals that they will work toward. They should be realistic about the time they have and explicit about the things they want to work on." p. 124 

After having a dialogue with my mentee and planning an action plan, I realized how important it is for me to take the time to discuss what she has on her mind in regards to teaching. Even just from the short conversation we had, she expressed how excited she was that we were doing this and how she thinks it will help her so much to become a better teacher. I could see the sense of relief on her face after the meeting because she feels understood and excited for new improvements.

“There are times when mentors may not be sure of what they are accomplishing or whether their long hours and exhausting efforts are bearing results.”  p. 154

I already can relate to this because being a teacher can sometimes feel like this. I can relate to this also because I am already feeling a little overwhelmed by the level of commitments we planned out for the rest of the year. There are a lot of meetings to be had and a lot of lessons to be observed outside of my normal teaching responsibilities. I know that I will work hard, but I also know that by doing all of this will provide a much better year for my mentee and she will not have to go through what I had to go through my first year of teaching.

Surviving and Partnering

Ch 4 & 6

"Thus, an effective mentor should not only understand the fears of a beginning teacher but also review the basics of teaching required at all levels of experience and be prepared to assist the mentee with suggestions and support."p. 56

Beyond providing a understanding ear, a good mentor should also be able to provide a certain level of advice and concrete suggestions for improvement. It is important that a mentor is experienced and is willing to relate.

"The distance between theory and reality is greater when it comes to classroom management than for any other single area of teaching." p. 66

How true!!! I found this to be the most difficult thing when beginning to teach and I was upset that I wasn't prepared to handle 30+ students. How can you teach someone to have classroom management without being able to work with them directly in the classroom?

"... encouraging the mentee to become independent." p. 103

This is key in a mentoring relationship. Being able to provide a positive relationship for the mentee in such a way that they feel prepared to move on and be successful by themselves. As a mentor, I tend to think that my job is never done and they will always need help, but I need to transition my mind to think about how they will be successful when I am no longer available.

Remembering the First Days

Ch 1 & 3

"Nationwide, 30% of beginning teachers leave the profession within two years, another 10% leave after three years and more than half leave within five to seven years." p. 5

First off, it amazes me every time I hear statistics like this! It is almost amazing that I have made it this far and have not been too stressed out to quit yet. Teaching most definitely is a challenging career and out of my four years teaching I have gone to school for three. If we are able to create better work environments for our teachers in their first years, I would hope that this number would decrease, and my hope is that it will.

"Studies show that a other desirable qualities in a mentor include wisdom, caring, humor, nurturing and commitment to the profession." p. 11

I first entered into my program, Instructional Leadership, because I wanted first year teachers to never have to go through what I had to go through in my first year of teaching. It was just too difficult and I am relieved that I have these desired qualities in a mentor. I am not perfect in them and it will require effort and practice to make sure that this qualities only develop so that I will be more of a support for first year teachers.

In chapter 3, there was so much research that brought me back to my first year teaching and the one that struck me the most was focused on time management. 

"First-year teachers are often overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done in a day; om the beginning, they spend up to 70 hours per week on school work." p. 47

In my first year, I was so overwhelmed and I didn't know how to spend my time effectively. What to do first? Grade? Lesson Plan? Cry? Sleep? It truly was hard to know. Now that I am no longer a first year teacher, I find that these simple decisions come more naturally. In order to be a good mentor it will always be important for me to remember this time in my life, so that I will be able to relate to my mentee so that she will feel understood and not judged for having a hard time.

Culturally Cognitive

"As educators, our use of the inside-out approach initially involves examining our own values and behaviors and learning how to adapt to meet the needs of diverse groups of learners." (pg. 25)

 

It is always important to be able to aware of one's own self in order to be able to help others identify what is important for themselves. If we cannot recognize our own values and behaviors then it will be extremely difficult to try and and relate to those in which we are trying to help.

 

"Cultural Proficiency is a state and process of becoming[…]one does not magically become culturally proficient. Cultural Proficiency is a journey, not a destination." p. 34

 

How true? We are always on a journey to discovering more of who we are and therefore who others are as well. There are vast amounts of cultures in the world and even more people within them. It will be important for us to be patient with ourselves and recognize that we will always have more to learn about others and their cultures.

Resolving Problems: The Third Coaching Map

Ch 9

"Another tip for crafting goal statements is to listen for the expression of three universal goals. After the basic needs of food, water, shelter, and sex, humans desire three goals: identity, connectedness, and potency." This chapter highlights the importance of being able to identify goals for coachees. If the coachee and the coach are both having a difficult time coming up with a clear need, it is always possible to go back to universal goals and develop a need that all humans have.

"In pacing, the coach paraphrases for empathy and content, probably several times, then tested a goal statement, and finally offered the pathway: "So you are looking for a way to do that." One thing that I have heard over and over again about cognitive coaching is the ability to paraphrase back to the person everything that they are saying so that they are able to understand and reflect more deeply about the issues they are having and then are able to see resolutions and ways to improve their teaching abilities. As coaches it will be important to pick out key ideas such as "content" so that the conversation stays focused.

How do we know when this type of conversation is over? "Observations of physiological changes will often provide cues." Essentially, if you see that the coachee is feeling satisfied and are acting as such then the conversation has reached it ends. The chart on pg. 211 clearly shows what sort of things we might look for. "Internal locus of control, broader and alternative of control, specificity and elegance, awareness of self and others, and connection to and concern for community," are all go cues to look for in regards to the five states of mind.

Inquiring Into the Knowledge Base of Teaching and Learning

Ch 8

On the very first page I was struck by this quote, "only accomplished teachers know the unspoken knowledge and perceptions that guide their work in the classroom." This struck me because it made me feel as though teachers truly are a professional group of people that take the time to learn their trade in order to teach young minds. Not  everyone is able to become an accomplished teacher, this takes a lot of time and dedication as well as others around you who are able to promote the right choices and support you in this career path.

I could relate to the section about "teachers as continuing learners" because there was a section about the standards of teachers. It says that the standards require, "a holistic conception of career development, essential efforts in teaching, regardless of the grade level or students being taught, the standards are performance-based and the current views of what students should know and be able to do and learn challenge subject matter" (p. 183). I related to this section because I want to me a life-long learner who strives to continually better myself as an educator. I felt as though these things described me but because they describe me, there will always be room for improvement.

Reflective Convo

Appendix A (part 2)

This second part of the appendix was more familiar than the planning conversation because we had already had a chance to practice this style of cognitive coaching.

I was reminded of the importance to ask open-ended questions, summarize and paraphrase what the teacher would say, and probe for more specifics. In this particular example conversation, I liked that the coach was able to refer back to the planning conversation to recall different concerns.

One important thing I would like to note on this reflective conversation is that the coach didn't ever reveal any sort of opinion about how the lesson went. She only presented the facts and when it came time to reveal the facts, she asked the teacher if she wanted to hear them, rather than just "dumping" it on her. This will be important for me to remember during my reflective conversation because I tend to want to share my thoughts and feelings on most things.