Roles and Responsibilities of Mentoring
After our first class and discussing roles and responsibilities of mentoring with your colleagues, think about your strengths as a mentor. Also, think about things you need to do in order to improve in order to become the best mentor. Given what you have learned about new teachers, what is one thing that you can discuss with your new mentee?
I enjoyed our first TSS training class. The activities and discussions allowed me to look at my personality and reflect on my strengths and weaknesses as a mentor. I am a very organized individual and I like to organize anything. I always enjoy helping new teachers organize their classroom, paperwork and help setting procedures. I feel this is a strength that I can provide my mentee. My weakness maybe giving my mentee more individual TIME and to be an active listener. We are constantly busy in the classroom. It's constant multi-tasking! My mentee and myself are frequently going into each other's classroom but we need to actually set aside time to sit down and just talk by ourselves. My goal is to establish a time with my mentee that we can just sit down and talk. I want to be a more active listener for her. The text we received "Why Didn't I Learn This in College?" is a great resource for new and established teachers. I feel there are several sections of this book that I will share with my mentee. I am looking forward to our next class in November.
ReplyDeleteI will start by letting my mentee know that she is not alone. I will assure her that the feelings she is experiencing are normal. I will let her know that I know she is feeling overwhelmed and not sure about everything. I want her to know that I am there for her. I plan to devote time after school where she can come to me to ask questions, to collaborate, or just to observe me.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed our first TSS meeting. I am looking forward to the next one. As a mentor, I feel that it is important to be there for my mentee in any way that I can. It is always the little things that we often overlook that make the biggest difference. The thing that I need to improve on to be the best mentor is organization. I struggle with organization which makes it hard to mentor when I'm trying to find my desk :-)! Until next time...
ReplyDeleteOur first TSS class reminded me how I felt my first years in the classroom and how I want to help my new mentees not feel so alone.
ReplyDeleteAs a mentor, I feel that it is important to listen to my mentees and validate their opinions on classroom management and strategies that they have tried. They have some great ideas to use in their classroom. I feel that often my mentees just need to hear that it is okay or just need someone to listen to their day. One thing I can offer my mentees is to remember to take small steps. Everything is not going to be perfect as we envisioned in college. Flexiblity and asking questions can help make the transition into teaching much smoother. My weakness is having enough time to share between my mentees, since each one needs different things.
I will assure my mentee that all of the things that she is feeling are normal. I will be there to listen to her and to discuss any problems she may have. I am going to work with her to ensure she is able to meet all of her scheduling obligations. I will help her to devise a plan that keeps her abreast of upcoming events and dates at school. I am willing to devote time during my specials to observe in her classroom and provide constructive feedback that centers on her strengths.
ReplyDeleteMy mentee is overwhelmed by all the paperwork that goes along with Special Education. My strength is organization and I have worked with her to help set up a schedule of when her IEP's are due and when she should have sections of the GAA completed. My weakness as a mentor is finding the time to work with her because we both teach in the pull out setting all day. We have worked around this by meeting before and after school.
ReplyDeleteI think the most important thing that I can do is to assure my mentee that everything she is experiencing is "normal". As a first year teacher there are alot of "hoops" that you are required to jump through. Some you know, some you don't, and some you make up as you go along. I think it will be most important to be there and help the process as much as possible. I want her to feel comfortable and trust me. I think that will be essential in establishing a good working relationship between mentor and mentee.
ReplyDeleteAs a mentor I'd like my mentee to feel like she has someone to turn to at school. Often times we get so busy trying to keep up with our classrooms that we forget that this stress is magnified for new teachers. I'm very organized so I think that will be an area I can really help my mentee. Keeping up with due dates, materials, etc. can be overwhelming. Having said this, my weakness as a mentor is finding time to devote to my mentee and her needs.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to becoming a mentor. The role that a mentor has in a new teacher's experiences is vital to the overall success of that new teacher having rewarding experience during their first year. The stress and anxiety of the pressure that a new teacher feels can be so overwhelming that they will need someone to lean on to reassure them that everything will be ok. As a veteran teacher I feel that it is vital to pass on the knowledge and skills that I have acquired through the years.
ReplyDeleteI am very excited to have been chosen to become a mentor teacher. I think my greatest strength as a mentor teacher is my drive, passion, and enthusiasm for teaching!! I am very fortunate to have a mentee who has been teaching just as long as I have, so we have had a different type relationship. She is new to our school, and it is a very different culture than her old school. I have a very similar background in that I came from a school, out of state, that had a very different culture. I hope to be a good listener and guide her to see that she can incorporate her old school's culture with her new school's culture without sacrifcing herself as a teacher. We talk everyday and bounce ideas off of each other, so we are both learning from each other!!
ReplyDeleteI am very excited about being a mentor! I remember my first year, and promised myself I would not be back for a second. Well, eight years later here I am! I want my mentee to know that everything she is experiencing is normal. We have all been there, and I clearly remember experiencing all the doubts, frustration, paperwork, and other things that college simply can not prepare a teacher for. I feel as though I can help her realize that prioritizing the "to do" list is very important. It feels awesome to scratch something off of the list, and then you feel as though you tackle the rest on your list. As a mentor, I hope to continue to help her along the teaching journey!
ReplyDeleteAs a mentor, I find myself reflecting on my first three years as a teacher. I remember the stress, the tears and the confusion. I remember how alone I felt even though I had several teachers ask me if I needed help. I guess I was embarrassed to reveal that I didn’t have a clue. I feel that my own experiences and reflections will help me as a mentor. I can say “Oh yeah I know how you feel”. I think that showing him or her that we are peers/co-workers (instead of coming across as a supervisor there to judge) will build a positive relationship.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed our first TSS training class. The activities and discussions allowed me to look at my personality and reflect on my strengths and weaknesses as a mentor. The personality test and activity allowed were I as a person need to grow and how to interact in a way with an indivual that maybe a "lion". I have known my mentee for a couple of years and I am excited about working together this year. My mentee is not a new teacher just new to the school. This has been the best scenerio because we are able to not only work together but with our grade level plus fifth grade. We are all open for suggestions and help each other (inclding me) in our weaker areas. I guess you can say we all mentor me. I have her jot down questions or text me and then we work together to solve them. However, sometimes I forget she is new to the building but not a new teacher, and I just assume she knows how to do something. This is something I have to make a more of a Conscience effort and work harder at that! I am a work in progress! :) I am looking forward to the rest of the year!
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