Isn't My Mentor Supposed To Help Me?
When mentors and new teachers struggle to connect with each other |
Authors:
Brandon Geuder, Richard E. Lange, Scott Scafidi
May 2009
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Mentors are experienced teachers who have the important task of giving assistance to new teachers. Acting as role-model, guide, and advocate, the mentor ensures the comfort and growth of a teacher in a new position. Sometimes, new teachers have exceptional success in the classroom during their first year. This presents a new challenge for mentors; they must provide support while also supporting the independent success of new teachers.
We have recorded ten case studies that present dilemmas that affect mentoring relationships, and it is up to the mentor, as well as the new teacher, to analyze the stories in order to understand how the relationship between mentor and mentee could be improved. Mentors are called upon to recognize the successes and failures of the mentors in each case study. New teachers should recognize how the behaviors of their counterparts in each story make it easy or difficult for the experienced teachers to mentor. Each case study asks mentor/new teacher pairs to identify the issues and then explore ways to resolve the problem based on a series of questions for further thought.
Each case study presents a unique challenge, and they require the teachers to differentiate their style based on the desired outcome. How the teacher pairs approach each situation will be dictated by their personalities, teaching style, perceptions, and the culture of the school in which they work. In this way, these case studies create a differentiated activity that provides an experience tailored to the needs of each teacher.
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