What is a Mentor Teacher?
I clearly remember pretending to know what I was doing for the first couple years of my career. Panic struck when I reported for my first few teacher work days as I quickly realized I would have to tread water in order to stay afloat for a while. If you have been a teacher for more than a few years now, you probably can relate to this memory, too! Luckily, I had a great mentor teacher who built my confidence and my knowledge base while shaping me into the teacher I am today.
Essentially, a mentor teacher is there to help support and guide new teachers through the first few years of their teaching careers. A mentor will be the first and strongest tie to a new teacher’s school and a key part of helping introduce the novice teacher with workplace norms and socialization as they begin their exciting new career! Not only will the mentor help with acclimating the mentee to the workplace, but they will also help foster relationships, trust, content knowledge, best practices, and instruction which, combined, have the potential to dramatically impact a new teacher for decades to come.
Skills I Learned in my School Leadership Program
Last year, as I was finishing up my M.A. in school leadership from OAESA with Concordia University Chicago, my administrator asked me if I would be interested in becoming a mentor teacher for this 2020 school year. I quickly said yes because I felt like I had the skills to be an effective leader for new teachers who would need some guidance as they begin their new careers.
One such skill that was covered in the school leadership program which was also applicable to mentoring is communication. Communication is such an integral part of being both a mentor and an administrator. It is important to know how to communicate with others in different circumstances. Sometimes it is best to be a stronger listener than a speaker, and at other times, it is best that you can communicate clearly and effectively with those you encounter.
Additionally, closely tied to communication was collaboration. As a principal, it is important to collaborate with TBTs, BLTs, the community, the school board, and all the employees in the school. Similarly, as a mentor, one key component to the success of the mentor-mentee relationship is collaboration. As a mentor, you will need to have a level of trust established with your mentee because, as a team, you will work together in discussing observations, analysis of student work, and assessments.
The mentor will be responsible for providing feedback to the mentee and may be privy to the new teacher’s successes and struggles. It is important that trust is fostered when you are a mentor so that your mentee feels comfortable opening themselves up to you so that you may guide them in their growth throughout your collaborative relationship.
Moreover, an area covered in the school leadership program at OAESA with Concordia University Chicago was how to be an instructional leader. To be quite honest, I was not familiar with this type of leader prior to learning about it in classes. I had never worked for a principal who was an instructional leader; rather, I have always worked under administrators who were managerial in nature, meaning they were good managers: managing time, people, schedules, and behaviors. None of my prior principals were instructional leaders, leaders who are comfortable not just managing the school, but also establishing the goals for the school and helping to guide the school in that direction through the establishment of a shared vision. As a mentor, one must be an instructional mentor as well in order to work collaboratively as the new teacher learns the expectations of the school at which they were hired.
A final skill taught in the school leadership program at OAESA necessary to be an effective mentor teacher was the understanding of the Ohio Improvement Process (OIP). The OIP includes the following steps: identify a need in a school, research evidence-based strategies in order to improve the need, plan to implement changes, implement said changes and monitor the outcomes, then reflect and adjust accordingly.
After learning about OIP and how crucial it is the operation and improvement of a school, I was shocked at how little I knew about this even after 16 years in the profession. However, through my mentor classes, I was reminded of the OIP when we discussed the necessity of presenting to the mentee the teaching and learning cycle: plan, teach, assess, revise. Both of these cycles emphasize the need to make a plan, assess along the way, and revise as necessary; and isn’t that the premise of teaching? We make wonderful plans each week, but how frequently do we change plans dependent on how the kids are receiving our instruction? It was eye opening to see the parallels between the teaching and learning cycle and the OIP.
How my Master’s Made me a Better Mentor Teacher
Without a doubt, I know that I am better prepared to be a mentor teacher than I was prior to earning my school leadership degree from OAESA with Concordia University Chicago. Perhaps most importantly I learned that teachers really are open to change if they only know how to achieve it. Teachers want to be successful and help their students become successful; likewise, new teachers want to be the best teacher they can be.
So, with feedback, reflection, and the ability to pivot when things aren’t going well, new teachers can see for themselves where they have room to grow and become more impactful in the classroom. I learned in the school leadership program that it is expected of a leader to guide someone towards their growth. As a principal and as a mentor, it is your job to help your teachers to work collaboratively toward a shared vision for the betterment of individual teachers as well as the betterment of the entire school. I am thankful that I became a mentor teacher after completing the school leadership program because I am more fully prepared to communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and guide new teachers towards becoming the best version of themselves as I take them under my wings!
Ready to expand your knowledge, strengthen your pedagogy, or improve your leadership skills? Explore our available graduate degree programs to start your journey today!