The first inaugural years of new teachers are generally full of learning and challenges. Coping up with the new environment becomes a lot easy when they find the right mentor to guide them throughout the process.
A mentor and a new teacher relationship should be a perfect partnership. The teacher should get ample scope to have training for new roles. The mentee can capitalize on having a mentor who is usually an experienced colleague.
In most cases, new teachers tend to quit in the initial years. The reason could be physical or mental exhaustion, unfavourable working conditions, etc. New teachers have the matching with a mentor who can train them.
So, this mentor and relationship is built based on a purpose. The mentee can learn various things from the experienced mentor. The positive flank of this association is that a mentor can encourage the new teacher with their individual experiences.
The mentee can get the required wisdom and support from the mentor to embark on this new journey. A new teachers joining a new school in a new place might also need some financial support. The online loans in Ireland can help them take care of additional financial requirements.
Different ways a mentor can encourage the mentee to become a good teachers are as follows:
Useful tips for mentors guiding the mentees
A good mentor should help the mentee to thrive and excel. Here are some recommendations that can be in handy for the mentor in enhancing the new teacher’s experience.
One should share mentor experience
The mentor can communicate their understandings and stories to break the ice. They can tell the them about their overall journey and what they have learned throughout the process. A mentor must discuss teaching values and tips on how a they can connect well with the student.
The mentor can even encourage the mentee to come up with their part of the story. This ensures the mentee gets along with the mentor well. The mentor should focus on building trust in this relationship.
As a mentor, you must train those novice teachers about goal setting and how they should work on creating a growth mindset in the students. In short, the mentor should be supportive and amicable.
Otherwise, the mentor will have a negative experience at the beginning of the journey. The mentor is responsible for ensuring the growth of the teachers. Motivating teachers for their endeavours and successes should be an essential trait of the mentor.
Clarity on expectations should be there
Mentor and teachers should share a relationship based on mutual understanding. One should understand the expectations of the other from the beginning itself.
The new teacher will feel optimistic when the mentor clarifies their roles and responsibilities inside the classroom. Most importantly, the mentor should direct the new teachers throughout their evolving journey.
Since its inception, clear communications between the mentor and mentee will form the basis of this relationship.
Working together is pivotal
A mentor can collaborate with the teacher in different types of activities, and this could be preparing for classroom visits also. The coach should induce the teacher to go through feedback, suggestions, etc., to get an understanding of how it feels inside the class.
But one cannot renounce the consequence of the practical experience. A real visit to the classroom can unlock miscellaneous experiences for the teacher. A mentor should be there during the visit to analyze the teacher’s classroom experience.
The mentor should conduct a post-visit discussion to realize what the teacher has learned. The mentor should also give feedback. Both the teacher and mentor observations should be key takeaways from this collaborative working approach.
A Mentor should have a transparent approach
A mentor should be able to impart their experiences. This also includes the process and systems they have created for the teacher’s reference. The mentor should be able to clarify why they created these processes and how these are created.
The teacher should get an idea about the efforts and accomplishments of the mentor being a teachers. This simplifies all the actions and strategies that should have inclusion in budding teachers.
A Mentor should help teachers set their goals
A mentor should intercommunicate their purposes with the new teacher for reference. A teacher should be learning throughout life to be up-to-date. The mentor should guide the teachers on how to set professional goals.
The mentor can give an instance of their journey, goals, and how they are still upgrading their skills and knowledge today. A mentor should not necessarily be a perfect teacher, but they should have real-life lessons and experiences to motivate a new teacher to get on this further exploration.
Reasons why new teachers should be mentored
An amateur teacher should have methodological proficiency. Besides, they will also need to focus on gaining professional expertise, and these are two qualities that a good teacher should have.
While one can attain the methodological part through practical experiences and with time, aspects like values, skills, etc., need mentoring support. A mentor is like a friend, philosopher and guide for the new teacher.
A mentor also plays a critical role in building confidence in the amateur teacher. Mentoring revolves around training, guiding, instructing, giving personal support and providing support. A new teacher can look up to a mentor for inspiration.
A mentor should be someone a new teacher can reach out to at any time for expert advice and guidance.
The bottom line
As new teachers, they must give some time to build a rapport with the mentor. Once they start working together, the mentee can cash in from the experience and knowledge of the mentor. Remember that mastering the art of teaching is not going to be easy.
But when you have a coach to guide you, you are sure to gain from this journey. The mentor will aim to give you the necessary training which can help you become a good teacher. The support that a new teacher gets from the mentor plays a vital role in shaping them as future educators.