Mentoring
Mentoring offers individualised support to beginning and returning teachers. It is a reciprocal professional learning relationship between the mentor and mentoree based on what happens in the classroom.
Professional growth is supported through strategies such as structured reflective dialogues, where evidence from observations, beliefs and understandings can be reflected upon with a view to improving practice and building teacher expertise.
The partnership helps the mentoree to consolidate personal and professional confidence and feel a valued and valuable member of staff who is able to embrace the values, standards and expectations of their vocation.
For the mentor, the partnership provides the opportunity to confirm, renew and share their contribution to the profession and the school community.
Will I make a good mentor?
If you are a teacher eager to share your expertise in classroom practice and passion for teaching you may wish to consider becoming a mentor. Fundamentally, the people who become mentors need to be good role models who have the respect of their colleagues and are held in good regard for their personal attributes. When schools are assessing candidates' suitability to become a mentor other qualities they may value are:
- knowledge of schools, your own in particular;
- willingness to get to know your mentoree, understand them, appreciate what you have in common and value their differences;
- patience, compassion, kindness and courtesy;
- ability to create opportunities and celebrate successes;
- ability to encourage mentorees to be colleagues, friends and mentors to you and others; and
- willingness to accept the relationship as two-way and to ‘learn’ from the mentoree.
Mentors do not need to be ‘perfect’ but they do need to be willing and able to ‘grow’ in a relationship and build on mutual contributions in a context of high expectations.