Part 1 Introduction: TEDx - Be a great mentor

Question: What from the TedX video caused you to think more deeply about becoming a mentor?
Answer: After watching the video, I especially liked the analogy of handing off the baton in relation to mentorship. It speaks to the collaborative effort that is necessary and the importance of passing on insights. It likened the concept of mentoring to allowing someone to have support and insight-forward by "sitting on your shoulders." The aspects of investing a great deal of time is mentioned, too. True mentoring and collaboration takes invested time and worthwhile study and conversation. Mentoring also requires a plan. While great discourse can be organic, it too needs to be intentional. 

Question: From the Self-Assessment Inventory, what stands out the most about the questions and your answers?
Answer: Someone who had a lasting and positive impact on my professional life was someone who embodied both strength and humility. They were confident in their abilities, deeply knowledgeable, and always led with kindness. I connected with them because they were admirable and grounded - someone who inspired through their actions but never made others feel small. Their ability to lead with both knowledge and approachability made a lasting impression on me. I believe I bring those same qualities to the table as a potential mentor: I am confident in my instructional practices, passionate about this work, and committed to uplifting others. I’m not hesitant to provide clear feedback or direction when needed, but I do so with care and the intent to empower. I know how valuable it is to feel supported, heard, and challenged in the right ways, and I strive to offer that same experience to others.   

Question: What do you believe you might need help with as a mentor in our school district?
Answer: I anticipate needing guidance when it comes to supporting teachers with areas outside my primary strengths - for example, content areas I don’t teach or navigating district-specific systems I may not have firsthand experience with. I would welcome support from others in the mentoring community as I grow into this role!

1.     What from the TedX video caused you to think more deeply about becoming a mentor? 
The idea of carving out time to be face to face with a mentee caused me to think more deeply.  I feel like a great way to demonstrate to your mentee that you personally invested in their success, and not just doing the bare minimum to meet the criteria.  Carving out our personal time and taking the opportunity to meet in face to face helps form a greater connection and a chance to really understand your mentee and their goals, thus making you both more invested in the outcome. 

2.      From the Self-Assessment Inventory, what stands out the most about the questions and your answers? 
When I think about someone who had an enduring and positive impact on my professional life, I think about how included and important that person made me feel, and I think that is incredibly important for a mentor to do.  I see in myself this ability to form a genuine connection with people.  It is so important for a mentee to feel like they are an integral part of the community; that they are adding value and not just thought of as “the new person”.  When I look back at the beginning of my career, I remember how my mentors made me feel valuable, and how that encouraged me to be brave in my work and my ideas.  Making a mentee feel as though they belong in your community is just as important as anything you can teach them. 

3.     What do you believe you might need help with as a mentor in our school district? 
I anticipate needing help with the exact criterion of mentorship.  I will need to know exactly what is expected of me and of my mentee.  I will need to be trained on any distinct methods or systems that the district would like me to use.

 1.       After watching the TedX video, there are a few things that stand out. One being the time needed to be a great mentor. Kenneth emphasizes the significance of spending significant face to face time together. Oftentimes people with great intentions to do not provide enough time to those they would like to mentor. This time together is essential to build the relationship and trust  Another aspect is the importance of having a plan for your mentorship. Just like educators within the classroom, things do not progress without a plan. A key to this plan is that it should be based on the goals of the person being mentored, not a predetermined plan. 

2.       Based on the Self-Assessment Inventory, one mentor truly stood out for me. She served as my cooperating teacher for my student teaching placement, was essentially in the hiring process for my first job, and then served as my official mentor my first year of teaching. From day one, she was kind, patient and taught me so many of the core beliefs I still hold about our profession. She truly dedicated so much of her time to supporting me and encouraging me. Her passion for this job was truly admirable and shaped who I am as an educator. 

3.       Collaboration is essential even as a mentor to others. One thing that might require creativity and/or support is finding the proper amount of time to support and mentor. As the video discussed, this time is so valuable and important. 

I think that the video helped to relay the message of the importance a mentor has on their intern’s experience. It placed a lot of the learning goals on the intern, rather than on the mentor. Just like we want our classrooms to be student-lead, this experience should be mentee/intern-led. Another important message from the TedX video, was the time that this commitment will take. It is not something that happens overnight. Being a positive, effective mentor will require the mentor to put in a lot of time and effort to that cause. 

From the self-assessment, I thought back to my first year as a part time teacher in two buildings – starting the week of Thanksgiving break. Not only did I lack experience, I did not know the district’s curriculum and had a large learning curve to catch up to already 3 months into the school year. I heavily relied on my mentors to encourage and support me in becoming the teacher that I am today. I think as a mentor now, I have been in the district since 2012 and have an understanding of the culture/curriculum of our school that I can share with an intern. I am also flexible and understanding, so I hope that my mentee feels that in our conversations and collaboration.

 I think the biggest struggle I will have is with time. Making sure that we have our meeting dates on the calendar well ahead of time so that we can really set aside that time to prioritize the mentee’s needs (rather than the needs of our team as a whole, for example).

1.     After watching the TedX video, I was left thinking about the tremendous responsibility it is to be a mentor. Cultivating the people who have come into this profession after me deserve the time, dedication, patience and support they need to grow is all areas. I owe this to our profession and ultimately the children who are to be impacted by having a teacher that makes a difference in their lives.
2.     The mentor I connected most with was one that worked on my team and was able to show by example ways for me to improve. She brought content study to the forefront and showed how to balance best practice/research with daily practice in the classroom. This type of study helped to solidify my understanding of the core curriculum and overall best teaching practices.
3.     I truly feel SH has greatly prepared me to be a mentor. After the past several years of working directly with new teachers in my building, I have learned many ways to connect better with adults, model best teaching practices, locate resources that are pertinent to the mentee and be an ear of compassion and understanding. I do believe I may need help scheduling observation time for my mentee to observe myself and for me to observe her.

Although I wasn't assigned a formal mentor when I started at Sweet Home (at Maplemere in a .8 position), Val Lewandowski fulfilled that role without even realizing it or being asked. She made sure I knew that she was available anytime, and she regularly checked in with me.  She would give suggestions and answer my questions all while making sure I was comfortable with that ongoing dialogue.  I feel that I possess many qualities that will allow me to be a successful mentor: approachable, patient, ability to make others feel comfortable and at ease, ability to give constructive feedback and positive praise, and almost 25 years teaching experience in a variety of special education settings. 

One thing that stood out to me during Part 1 was the emphasis on making time to meet with your mentee. I would imagine it is very easy to just assume we'll make the time to meet and have discussions, but in reality life gets busy and weeks/months could go by without any structured meeting session.  I also appreciated the point about having a plan and letting the mentee guide the meetings/discussions with their goals and what they want or need to learn.

Since this is my first year as a mentor, if I had to pick an area that I might need guidance or help with, it would probably be just being able to assess that I'm doing enough or providing the right kind of support/assistance for my mentee. 

1. "The mentee’s goals should inform and govern the plan.” This makes me think about the habit “begin with the end in mind.” The “end” should not be what my goals are for teaching the mentee, but rather his/her goals as a new educator. I have already thought about certain aspects of teaching that I am excited to share with my mentee, but after meeting with, listening to, and working to understand my mentee, I will reevaluate. This is similar to how, as teachers, we must effectively plan our lessons after reflecting on the changing needs of our students. 

2. One thing that stood out to me about the self-assessment inventory questions was that it was difficult for me to think of just one person who has been a mentor to me. During my first year at Sweet Home, I was the only new-hire at my building, yet I quickly felt surrounded by helpful people who have shaped me to be the teacher I am today. The qualities of these mentors have been 1) very encouraging and supportive and 2) responsive to my questions and goals.
3. I am still learning how to effectively utilize technology in my classroom. If my mentee is interested in learning more about certain apps or programs that I am unfamiliar with, I will seek help from others who have more of an expertise in this area.

(1) In the TedX video, he discussed developing a plan… “not what the mentor wants to teach, but what the mentee wants to learn” and that really resonated with me.  I don’t believe I ever had this experience when I started my career 20 years ago.  I was told what to teach and given copies of my colleagues’ worksheets, and then I was on my own.  I would enjoy sitting down with a new colleague and talking about what they already know and are comfortable with, and then we can set forth a plan to help them develop further. 

(2) I have qualities necessary to becoming a good mentor.  I am willing to give my time, to develop a plan for a new teacher, to be encouraging, and to carefully and kindly make corrections and adjust instruction.  I would assume that all mentor/mentee relationships will look different based upon what it is the mentee is requesting.  Some might need help building solid lessons while others might need help developing rapport within the classroom.   

(3) As a new mentor, I probably will have lots of questions, but I don’t know what they are yet.  (I am curious if mentors and mentees will have common planning time built into their schedules.)  I’m excited to learn more and meet with everyone during the new teacher training later this month!