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.