Mentors

"In order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care." ~ Maya Angelou in this PSA

Day six of the Reflective Blogging Challenge asks us to consider, "What does a good mentor do?" When I think back over my career I realise how fortunate I have been to have so many good mentors to guide me. Back then, I probably wouldn't have used the term mentor, but rather these people were trusted colleagues and many became friends. I think Maya Angelou's quote sums up why they were effective mentors - they cared. 

Teaching is a challenging profession - it is not the type of job you can go to school to 'learn' and then, voila, you are an amazing teacher. Educational theory and understanding how children learn is important, certainly, but the art of teaching is a craft honed over time. I believe that is why the role of a mentor is so important, though what a good mentor might do would probably look different for different people at different points in their career. 

At times a mentor can be that quiet voice of confidence to let you know that you can do it. A person you can trust and turn to when things don't work out as planned. As a teacher's confidence grows a good mentor might be someone to learn with, to encourage us to try different strategies, to take risks. It might be a colleague who shares their practice with you or plans lessons with you, pushing you just a little farther in your thinking. 

I'm sure I could research and discover the qualities of good mentors and develop an argument about why mentorship needs to be an integral part of teacher induction. However, it is day 6 of the challenge, I've just finished my first day back after the break and I am tired! Before calling it a night however I just want to say thank you - to all of my many mentors... you cared.

The do-over

Day 4: What do you love most about teaching?

There are so many things I love about teaching it's hard to settle on just one aspect. Most certainly a big part of why I love being a teacher lies with the students. It is a privilege to be part of great 'ah-ha' moments in children's lives. How many other jobs afford people the time to look at the world through the eyes of young people who are trying to figure things out and are happy to wonder and delight in experiences that for most adults have become 'meh - been there done that' moments.


I also love the opportunity to work with like-minded people (and okay - perhaps a few not so like minded people) to discuss our practice and explore ways of doing things better - for students and for ourselves. An opportunity to think deeply about how our education system works and why it is the way it is. Question it and explore ways to make it more relevant and appropriate for our students.

But I think the most honest response to why I love teaching is because it is a profession that provides 'do-overs' on a regular basis. There's the obviously new school year every September, but there are also new terms, new units, new months, new weeks. Each and every one asking, just begging you to reflect on what worked, what didn't and what would you like to try again? Do differently? I love that I am always learning and that I'm never certain what a day will hold. And if what I had planned didn't work - that's okay, tomorrow is a new day.

Day 3 of the Blogging Challenge

"We are what we repeatedly do." ~Will Durant in The Story of Philosophy, 1924

Day three of the Reflective Teaching Blogging Challenge asks us to, "discuss one 'observation' area that you would like to improve on for your teacher evaluation.' After giving this some thought, I realised after moving into a single-subject role some of my practices changed and I lost a bit of what I valued when establishing a classroom culture or learning community. I think that this may have been a result of learning how to work effectively with many other teachers, accommodating their needs and how to best support technology integration within their classes.

When I was a class teacher I spent a great deal of time ensuring that our classroom was a democratic, shared learning space. Where individual differences were acknowledged and valued and students were empowered to decide how the space would best meet their learning needs. It was an environment that was flexible and open, one that provided student voice and choice, with clear learning intensions. I would like to get back to that type of a space. Where students can make choices about what's next for their learning journey and how I can best support them to achieve their goals.

I cannot escape the reality of needing to provide support for technology integration for the teachers, but I can be more thoughtful about providing different learning paths to enable their students to acquire the skills and knowledge they need. I can also promote a technologically literate mind-set when working with the different classes. I know that once my badging system is operational, it will be a good tool to help support students' personalised learning options. In the meantime, I think I need to think about how I can promote student voice, encourage choice and model a growth mindset.