Personal Narrative: My Role As A Mentor

First year teachers come with lots of worries and concerns to the new working environment. No matter how well trained them or what degrees they obtained. Being in the practical/real experience is a complete different scenario. They need a kind extended hand to take them through this first year with clear, easy steps and guide them through their job requirements, until they feel confident enough and are off on "their own". Our role as mentors and leaders is to provide that guidance and support with an open heart and lots of patience to the different areas of need. We have to be committed to doing that and giving constructive feedback that will help this fresh teacher learn and grow. We have to be very patient again and accept that this new teacher lacks experience and hold his/her hand through this journey. We have to model classroom strategies and how planning is done over and over again till they grasp it and
They may have never taught in a classroom environment before or their own education may have been with a different curriculum - so they need both process support and a feeling of being needed at the school. To help them be the best that they can be - basically to sure up their esteem. Inviting (mandatory or otherwise) them to professional development sessions is a great follow up - but what happens between the time they are hired and the professional development session is held? That's where the mentor comes in. Not to give the entire professional development session - but guidance, tid-bits of information from an experienced teacher. Mentoring can also include offering peer observations with teachers you feel would help the new teacher. have the new teacher sit in the back of the room of another experienced teacher, then as the administrator -sit down and discuss what they saw, what they felt they learned, how they could incorporate some of the strategies observed in their own