Teacher Mentoring: Passing Your Knowledge Down
As English poet John Donne stated, “No man is an island,” it is essential to note that everyone needs someone to help them thrive. This is no truer than it is in the field of education. Systemic collaboration, both professionally and personally, must occur if teachers are going to complete a career. And that starts with a significant element: mentorship.
Teachers don’t just walk in on day one and become the best. They begin a survival mode that is critical to their development, as a professional educator and with their social and personal growth. Mentors help the transition from theoretical learning in college to realistic application in the classroom. And this first established relationship between mentor and mentee can set the tone for an entire career.
Being a mentor isn’t just one-dimensional, either. It can provide professional growth for the mentor, especially as needs change as they grow in the field. Yielding experience helps the evolution of a teacher, which is shared with the beginning teacher. Being a mentor means that a person is willing to learn and share anything they can in order to help the new educator, thus supporting the life-long learning approach, as well as a willingness to show flexibility and a desire to grow.
What is also significant to note is not only does the passing down of information, strategies, and experience help the new teacher, but that positive relationship supports the retention of that teacher, often in the same school. Those who experience an optimistic attitude and connection with their mentor will help cultivate culture within the school and the desire to thrive to match the mentor’s levels.
As well, until an instructor steps into their own classroom, understanding and exploring the strategies that will be successful can be a gamble. With a mentor, the mentee can begin to use those pieces that have worked over the years while they integrate their own philosophic strategies. Having a mentor to bounce off ideas can allow the new teacher to feel successful while having a safety net, rather than throwing them into the classroom and hoping for the best.
And there should be no confusion between inductions for new teachers and mentorship. Inductions typically involve basic introductions regarding the schools, campuses, equipment, access to some resources or learning protocols for completing tasks, such as for field trips or absences.
Mentorship is far more expansive; it helps with the daily struggles that come from excruciating requirements and challenges of the educational profession. It requires a majority of time for listening and only sharing advice at certain times. Mentors help calm anxieties or second-guessing and provide plans for moving through tough situations. Mentors help model appropriate pedagogies without forcing new educators to adapt to their ways. They provide a strong balance in leadership and experience, which is invaluable to mentees.
How Mentorship Can Help Teacher Retention
So, how does teacher mentorship support retention of teachers? There are a number of ways that mentorships have value in keeping teachers in the profession, especially when it comes to the social and emotional aspects necessary to continue in education.
Eliminate Isolation
Possibly one of the most crucial facets is to eliminate any form of isolation. Being new means that an educator possibly doesn’t know anyone in the school or community. The mentor has relationships already established and can share those through introductions of staff, students, and parents. This can eliminate the discomfort of feeling alone right in the beginning and provide the support system necessary to survive and grow.
Professional Growth
Another perspective in retaining teachers pertains to how quickly they can become effective as instructors, which will build their confidence and professional growth. A true mentor model can provide those opportunities with their wealth of experience, whether it is training a mentee on data collection and its importance in driving instruction or the development of strong assessments. Also, they understand the “how” and “why” of what they do with classroom management, collaboration, curriculum building, and so on. No matter the topic, mentor teachers can eliminate years of working through examples for the newer educator. This shrinks the timeline for their effectiveness. Combined with the collaboration of other team members through mentor introductions, mentees can build the self-assurance they need to stay comfortable in their positions, thus building on retention of that particular educator.
Reflection
While planning is also a powerful example of building confidence and knowing what a teacher wants to achieve, it’s the reflection opportunities mentors can provide that will establish a prolific teacher. By showing their mentees how to reflect and then implement those reflective pieces, it will allow mentees to grow years ahead of their beginning status. Understanding what worked and didn’t work in their classrooms, while focusing on mindfulness of the lessons or objectives, creates the chance to adjust instruction in a veteran way.
Work/Life Balance
One often forgotten tool for survival in education is a workplace and personal life balance. Mentors can reiterate the importance of personal hobbies, such as exercise or reading for fun, to help settle the anxieties new teachers experience. How many weekends of their lives have educators lost to grading and planning? Or trying to design the perfect lesson? There is never enough time and teachers can get lost in the amount of time it takes to keep up with all of the requirements. Mentors can share their experiences in prioritizing their work time mandates and their personal time moments. This is integral to the survival and retention of teachers, especially in avoiding burnout in contemporary times.
Spending just one week in the classroom can highlight both how difficult and rewarding this job can be for teachers. Yet, without the appropriate model to help mentor new teachers, it can end pretty quickly. New teachers need the opportunities to thrive, but also have someone with whom they can speak, share ideas, and simply fall back on during tough days to continue moving forward and growing as a professional. The most challenging part may be that educators need to know they are not alone and must seek out those who are positive and willing to help each of us in this journey from our island to the mainland.
A graduate degree in administration prepares you to lead as a principal, superintendent or other school administrator and help shape the future for generations of students. Check out our available leadership and administration graduate degrees and get started today!
