New Teachers, Mentors, Sharing, and Letting Go
For teachers entering the profession, one person can make the difference between surviving and thriving. A mentor, an experienced teacher who works to guide the newbie through all aspects of teaching from basic recordkeeping to talking with administrators to calling parents to actual classroom teaching, often is the one connection to sanity for a new teacher hit with the need to make dozens of decisions every day and, sometimes, every hour. Whether the mentor is officially assigned by the school administration or simply steps in to offer assistance to a rookie colleague, the relationship benefits both parties.
For the new teacher, the mentor is a resource full of information that is easily accessible – yes, even easier than “googling it.” For the mentor, the new teacher brings a resource of innovative techniques and approaches to refresh a career that might need some updating.
For both new teacher and mentor, a unique relationship develops. The new teacher has a connection to an adult in a world of children and teenagers. The classroom “island” does have a ferry to the mainland. The mentor, too, has a connection to a new player who may force the mentor to step outside his or her comfort zone.
Having mentored several new teachers over my career, as well as serving as a cooperating teacher to several student teachers, I must say that the benefits to me were well worth the time it took. In addition, developing a connection with young people who share in my appreciation for the value of education, and in particular, literature, was a joy. I am proud to count several of these teachers as my friends. Some have moved on to other pursuits; some are still in my life. Either way, as the saying on a coffee mug one of them gave me at the end of the “official mentoring season” states, “The bonds we have are everlasting.” For good or for bad, that statement is true!
The links below connect to two articles. The first, Eight Qualities of a Great Teacher Mentor, offers just that for experienced teachers who may want to share what they have learned. The second, Leaving and Cleaving, offers some good advice for mentors in any area – professionally or personally – regarding the post-mentoring relationship.
Eight Qualities of a Great Teacher Mentor.
Leaving and Cleaving
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