Monday, May 20, 2013
Get out your mirrors...IT'S REFLECTION TIME!!!
You have had the opportunity to read, discuss, watch videos, and listen to speakers on what it means to be an excellent educator as well as be an effective mentor. Discuss your strengths and challenges of being an effective mentor. What are some "aha" moments you have learned this year? How will you continue to grow as a mentor for all teachers in your building?
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I feel that my strengths are that I have 14 years teaching experience, that I am a good listener, and love solving problems. My challenges are that we all get caught up in our own classroom and need to make more time for our mentees. I will strive to make time every week for my mentee and of course, whenever I am needed. I plan on continuing to read mentoring books and enhance my mentoring skills.
ReplyDeleteSusan Clickner
This program has taught me so much about myself and how to handle various situations. I realized that even if someone has been teaching for 20+ years, sometimes they are not always the best mentors and they too have room to grow. I have learned a lot from my mentee this year and I know that one day she is going to be a great mentor to another new teacher. My mentee came with some fresh and exciting new ideas on how to get the unmotivated student motivated. She even motivated me to try new things and I honestly thank her for that.
ReplyDeleteThis program taught me that my weakness is that I am a fixer. I always wanted to fix my mentees' situation with other teachers like a parent would with their child, but I had to realize that she is a big girl and can handle herself and I should be a listening ear and encourage her to remain positive.
Marcia Tate made me realize that the classroom arrangement, lighting, paint colors, and music, play a big role in the outcome of the students learning. She also taught me that different air fresheners trigger differnt learning mechanisims. This was a true eye opener.
I am so thankful for this program because sometimes new teachers fall victim to the negative attitudes, behavior, and talk of the other teachers on their team, but if they have one person who will remain positive then there is hope for them. I read on a church markee that "no amount of darkness can hide a spark of light", this is so true of great teachers. Their first year is dark because they are trying to survive the culture of the school, find out who is there for them, what works, what does not work, how to write lesson plans, learning standards and everything else. However, if they are a team player and willing to learn, then they will be great teachers!
I hope to continue to aspire to be a great teacher and one day be a system mentor to stuggling teachers.
Courtney Thornton
Like Susan said, we tend to get so caught up in our own classrooms it becomes difficult to make the time for our mentees. There were plenty of days when I was in my “teacher zone” trying to get as many things done as possible during my one break that day and my mentee came into my room just wanting to talk. She would come sharing stories of things her students said and did (good and bad) as well as “cool” activities she found and wanted to try out .At first I would be irritated by the interruption, but then I grew to look forward to them. Those little chats with my mentee helped to me see the fun side of teaching again. I think it helps if sometimes we step back from all of our administrative work and look at teaching through our mentee’s eyes.
ReplyDeleteSteve Johnson
ReplyDeleteHave been doing this sort of thing since 1981 in military, ballfields, college and high school classrooms. Always something new to learn and to pass on to those who might need the insights. Unfortunately, while preaching diversification and diversity, the system is becoming more and more top down dictated where the skills and talents of individual teachers are lost in the bureaucratic dictated lessons, rules and regulations. This is the thing that will run off the new teachers faster than an unruly classroom, so we should focus more on the forest (educational environment) than on the relative easy trees like classroom management and the day to day requrements. No major aha moments beyond the reinforcement that so much of what we do is bandaid related and lacking real reform and proper long term perspective. When will we learn that just because the idea is not new, it is not good, is wrong. Really enjoyed the discussions with the other teachers, especially those who know that questioning is the first step to learning.
This class has taught me a lot about myself as an educator. When I came into the teaching profession, I was leaving the customer service business working with an insurance company. I was like you are crazy thinking you can be a teacher but I strapped on my boots in went in the trenches. I realized that I was still working with customers because the kids need the same assistance as the insurance carriers, just in the field of education. I also have customers in teachers that are new to my building (district), but not necessarily new to teaching profession. My strength as mentor was being willing to listen and show the new teachers the ropes of how to reach the students and following procedures. I advise them I know it seems a bit much, but it is what expected and I help in anyway I can. However, on the other end I feel much better working with the students because they are more willing to follow the rules in the long run (lol). My challenge in being a new teacher is my patience. I have to be willing to put myself back in the place of that new teacher and see their perspective of it. I found myself doing that a lot this year in my role as a mentor. And I kinda understood the road one of my mentors was taking but with a little bumps and bruises along the way. My other mentor had a rough time adjusting to the demands of working with the student population and her team, which put her in a somber mood. But I was able to talk to her about her concernc and ease her pain in some ways. I was able to cheer her up enough to put a smile on her face. My "aha" moment came when I realized a teacher has different phases that they go through and some of them just pick a phase and stick there. My role as a mentor is helping them move forward and being successful. I also realized that these same phases can help me grow as a teacher becuase I can get stuck myself. As a mentor I can continue to help the teachers in my building by being a great support system, to suggest not tell and be there as a listening ear. I really enjoyed the training this year, not because it got me out of school but because it gave me ways to be a successful teacher and mentor.
ReplyDeleteTawana Dunn
This has been a unique year for me as an Academic Coach and a mentor. I was fortunate to mentor an amazing young teacher with a passion for teaching. She is very knowledgeable in math and has exceptional organizational skills. I was very impressed with her willingness to take on other leadership roles within the school. This allowed me to mentor her for events outside of the classroom. I enjoyed watching her teach her students because she cares about each of them. This experience reinforced that it is so important to form relationships with students in order for them to be successful. I firmly believe that students will learn when they feel safe and loved.
ReplyDeleteThe other new teacher I was fortunate to mentor was my own daughter. I was amazed at how organized and stress-free she could be! It was interesting to hear her ups and downs throughout the year and it made me realize that most new teachers don't want mentors to fix things; they just want someone who will listen.
I believe a strength for me is my ability to stay calm and listen. My ‘aha’ moment was when we did the ‘coke/water’ activity. It made me think about how I face situations at school and at home. My mother always says “this too shall pass” and I try to tell myself that when faced with adverse situations.
I have enjoyed all the videos and presenters this year. I loved the video clip of Dalton Shermon, from the Dallas School District kick-off gathering. He said it best….”I believe in me, do you believe in me?!?” We all need to remember this!
I first would like to say that I have really enjoyed this class and all the TSS team. I have learned to be an effective mentor, I must have formal mentor training, which has provided me with specific descriptions of the roles and responsibilities and maintain logs and journals of the mentorship. Being a mentor has helped me to continue my own professional growth and development. But I have learned through this class a good mentor must have a POSITIVE OUTLOOK and be a great LISTENER. My "AHA" was the Coke/Water I said I was 50% to 50% but then really looking at the examples I am 80% water and only 20% Coke. All of the videos and class presenters were great. Great class all teachers need these trainings each year to refresh themselves.
ReplyDeleteI have always taken time, especially in the summer months, to reflect on the school year. I am always looking for areas that I can improve on, and I try to increase my knowledge of the content. My "aha" moment was watching the video of me teaching. I got to see myself in a new light. I never realized how many funny facial expression I make! Maybe I am more dramatic than I thought. I have enjoyed working with my mentee. It was nice to communicate with another orchestra teacher throughout the school year. We tend to be very isolated, being the only teacher of our kind at a school. I feel like this working relationship has boosted both of our morales and will bring more unity to out orchestra team.
ReplyDeleteMelissa Thomas
ReplyDeleteI am amazed how how quickly the year of TSS has gone! It has been such a fun journey and I have told several teachers at my school that they need to try to get into TSS because it is so fun, relaxing, but also very revitalizing! Many teachers don't want to sign up for something else to do at school but I can say that this has so far been my favorite thing to do!
I have really enjoyed working with my mentor and getting to know her at school and outside of the school. I think everyone should be required to work with someone that they may not be comfortable to work with at first, because it really teaches you a lot and you may also become good friends and find things in common! She is an awesome teacher and I really enjoyed coming in and out of her classroom. As an Academic Coach, I was able to see her teach and meet with her to plan on a more regular basis. It has been a great experience particularly because I was able to help her and guide her along this year. She felt comfortable enough to come to me to ask questions that she may not have wanted to ask anyone else. We created a trusting relationship and could talk about school or life and knew we could trust each other.
One of my favorite things about our class was Marcia Tate and how she taught me things about being an educator and also a mom. I really enjoyed the ideas and strategies she gave us that I can use at work and at home. I wish everyone in the district could hear her speak!
My aha moment would be when I learned differences and similarities between coaches, collaboration, and consultation. As a new Academic Coach, these things helped me get into my position and understand where I can help teachers.
I was impressed at how well the TSS training helped me throughout the year with my mentee. The class gave me some of the basic skills I needed to interact and feel comfortable mentoring Ms. Calhoun. I felt that by the end of the year I had not only helped the her but also had I had gained a lifelong friend. She really appreciated the teaching tips and I also benefited from her fresh point of view that a new teacher brings to the field. I am looking forward to working with many new teachers in the years to come.
ReplyDeleteI must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed going through the TSS process. All of the session were great and filled with valuable information. I really enjoyed Dr. Marcia Tate, and many of her tips have or will implement in my classroom. For instance the use of fragrances and the type of lighting and the color used on the smart board are all some of the tips that I will be implementing in my classroom. Who knew that students retained information better when the information is written in Blue.. WOW! I think that with this training I can really help a new teacher that needs the insight of an experienced teacher. I look forward to applying the tactics and strategies learned to help new teachers in the future.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest challenge this year has been trying to not stretch myself so thin that I am unable to help my mentees. This has been one of the most stressful years I have ever had and I was thankful for my mentor (Angie) for helping me make it through it all. Even though I have been teaching for years, I still found myself needing support.
ReplyDeleteI found that I was learning new information and strategies that I was eager to pass on to my mentees. The most valuable training that I think we had was the one with Dr. Marcia Tate. She gave us practical strategies that I took immediately back to my classroom. I have asked my administration to have her come out to speak to our faculty.
Jennifer, thanks for your honest response, "even though I have been teaching for years, I still found myself needing support." Often times, it is difficult for veteran teachers to say that they need support. I think that is the beauty of MCSD's Teacher Support Specialists and this format of "support' that is offered to mainly new teachers but extended to all teachers. I am thankful that we had our cohort to support and encourage one another.
DeleteFor me the greatest challenege this year was to make sure that I was able to give 100% of myself in every area I was working in this school year. Making sure I had/and made approrpiate time for my mentee, different groups I was working on, etc. I wanted to make sure that I was to my mentee, what my mentor was to me when I first started teaching. I love, love, love the sessions we had in our TSS training this year. Marcia Tate was such a treat. I took in so much information that day, leaving ready to go try out everything she'd taught us. I love sessions in which I learn practical things that can immediately be taken back into my classroom, and shared with my co-workers.
ReplyDeleteNicki Brown:
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed my year going through TSS. I think that I have always been a "helper" when it comes to my peers. I've always been willing to "help" other teachers when they need something, but this year I have learned how to listen. Sometimes our peers don't need our help. I have learned to sit back and be more of a listener than a doer. My mentee had a challenging year being moved 3 different times in one school year. At the beginning of the school year I was all gung ho about "helping" her when in all actuality she didn't need any help. Now, as the year comes to an end I have become a better listener. I don't offer suggestions unless they are asked for or warranted. I have also become a better listener as a grade level chair. I spread the responsibilty better amongst my team instead of putting it all on myself. I think my aha moment this year was during one of my moments with my mentee when I just sat and listened. I knew at that moment that was all she needed. I didn't have to be the fixer or the doer. I simply just had to listen.
I have enjoyed all of the classes and all of the presenters. I know that the high trust classroom presentation was by far my favorite. I am really looking in to utilizing the leader in me book next year. I have already purchased it!!!
Theresa Ricks:
ReplyDeleteI have learned a lot during this process but the most valuable information I have learned is to slowed down and pay attention to my students and the teachers. I think that we as educators get so busy doing everything that sometimes we miss the small moments of achievement for our students and other educators. I know that I can't do everything but I do believe when we work together we get more accomplished. I have learned to slow down listen and watch my surroundoings. This class has reminded me to remember why I became a teacher and that is to help others. I enjoyed all of the speakers.
TSS has been amazing. I loved the presenters and definitely the instructors. I realized I needed to learn to hear and understand my mentee needs and frustrations. I plan on learning to become an active listener by making a conscious effort to hear and understand what my mentee is saying. Luckily, my mentee and I spent a lot of time together which required me to be an active listener instead of immediately trying to fix the problem. My mentee and I developed a great relationship inside and outside the classroom. My mentee had several difficulties with classroom management, but with the help of Marcia Tate I was able to have my mentee apply Marcia's strategies - and guess what - her strategies worked!!
ReplyDeleteNext, I had the opportunity of watching my video of myself and I was shocked of how fast I talked. Wow, I wonder do the students truly understand what I'm saying. Also, I realized I needed to spend more time providing examples for my students. By requiring the TSS participants to submit a video, truly showed me that I have room for growth and it allowed me to reflect on weak areas. Also, I realized if I want to be successful I must continue to have room for improvement.
My goal for next year is to become a better mentor, better listener, become proactive with my mentee by always checking on him or her frequently and lastly being an approachable and knowledgeable.
Mrs. Glisson thank you, thank you for a wonderful TSS
This year has really been a great learning experience. I have learned so much through the TSS process and feel that I am a better leader in my school as well as a better teacher for my students. I feel that a strength of mine as a mentor is being able to relate to new teachers. Since I have just completed my fourth year of teaching, I still remember what it was like to be in their shoes. Being able to relate to our new babies is so important in building that relationship with them. I think a challenge I face in being an effective mentor is having confidence in myself to provide valuable information. I need to be more confident in the skills that I have learned and apply them to my mentor/mentee relationships. I will continue to grow by keeping up the relationship with my mentees as well as continue to read curriculum that will help me grow further as a mentor.
ReplyDeleteThis year has been wonderful. I have learned so much. I feel like a strength of mine is that I am a good listener and I love to help others. My weakness is that I don't always say what I need to for fear of hurting my mentee's feelings. There is a very fine line there that I do not want to cross. However, some things need to be said... still. We relate to each other very well and we agree on almost everything. I will actually be teaching the same grade as her next year, so that should be interesting and fun. My 'aha' moment was the coke/water activity. I want to do that at one of our faculty meetings. Just a little curious! I will continue to grow as a mentor throughout my profession. Thank you all for all of the help and support!
ReplyDeleteThinking back on the journey of becoming a TSSers...I'm eternally grateful to Besty, Angie, Becky, and Debbie and my fellow TSSers, because this was a phenomenal experience! The opportunities to build and strengthen relationships, share our thinking (i.e. strategies, helpful tips and ideas, etc.) is invaluable. Challenges are a part of our profession, so as they arose, I kept the focus on the fact that...relationship matters! And in this relationship with my mentee, I have to show that they matter and act on the best way I can support my mentee in the moment at hand. I will continue to reflect on how well I interact with our new colleagues as well as veteran colleagues, because every individual needs a supportive "mentee" at some point in time.
ReplyDeleteSheila Jones
ReplyDeleteAlthough I did not feel as if I had the time to fully commit to becoming a mentor; I have found the process both enjoyable and useful in my own teaching. The training and real-life experiences have better equipped me with strategies and skills that I can use for myself and my mentees to improve communication and help increase student performance in the classroom. I have always been a good listener and my personally has tended to facilitate my ability to relate well to most people. I understand how important it is for new teachers and teachers new to a school to receive support during this transitional period. The ability to listen goes a long way in addition to keeping the lines of communication open. Mentoring has been and will continue to be a way for me to help myself, my peers, and my mentees grow in how we relate to one another and our students.
Josiah Sumbry
ReplyDeleteBeing a part of the Teacher Support Specialist program thus far has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my teaching career. Participation has exposed me to the likes of Marcia Tate, an incredibly knowledgable presenter. I learned so much that I was enable to use in my classroom and to share with my mentee. Many of her classroom management tools are priceless jewels that are timeless, for they are rich in common sense, wisdom and brain-based research. Participation also has exposed me to many best practices I already have been employing in my classroom. I also have met some great teachers while being involved in this program. One of my AHA moments came when I watched myself on video teaching a lesson. I had no idea how fast I speak and how humorous I must be to my students. Small wonder they have difficulty understanding me. I must learn how to speak more slowly and with more clarity. I'm going to work on that. Viewing the video also taught me that I must be more methodical about getting non-presenting students to take their Cornell notes during the student presentations. I must work on that!
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ReplyDeleteMy greatest strengths as a mentor teacher include flexibility, compassion, passion for children and teaching, extremely hard worker, professionalism within a classroom.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest challenge was going from being an experienced, effective teacher to being a brand-new mentor. I had set such high standards for myself as a teacher, and here I was taking on a new position with so much to learn. I had to come to grips with the fact that there is a lot to learn about mentoring and that it is OK not to be an expert right away. After participating in the 2012-13 TSS Training, I began to view my new role as a mentor as an excellent way to grow professionally, in addition to helping the professional growth of my new mentee.
Michael Peek
ReplyDeleteMy strengths as an effective mentor are in my ability to provide support to the new teacher. Providing this support often times requires the anticipation of what might be needed from the very beginning and responding appropriately as time passes. An additional strength is in my ability to maintain an effective line of communication which fosters a high level of trust. Challenges are often found in the area of obtaining additional resources that might make the transitions for a new teacher smoother. Additionally, helping a new teacher find a balance between all the new ideas they would like to implement and those that might not be as prudent in terms of teaching and learning is a challenge and requires delicate handling. I have learned through the program this year that mentoring is a duty not to be taken lightly. I found that as a mentor, what you do in terms of support for your mentee might impact positively or negatively, their career plans. I will continue to grow as a mentor by keeping up to date on information relative education, training, mentoring, and classroom management in an effort to share and collaborate with my colleagues.
Jessica Thorne...
ReplyDeleteDuring the progression of this T.S.S. course, I have learned that effective teaching and effective mentoring are not synonymous. One can be an excellent teacher yet may need to develop in the areas of mentorship. Effective teaching is about meeting the needs of students through creativity, rapport with students, and differentiation of instruction (to name a few). However for me, I have learned that effective mentoring is being whatever the mentee needs you to be in that moment. The mentee may need the mentor to be a shoulder to cry on one day and an advisor the next day. This year, I was a shoulder for my mentee to cry on as well as an advisor for her with her lesson plans and helping her to grasp differentiation within her daily lessons. Those were definitely my strengths. Some challenges I experienced were helping my mentor deal with her grade-level chair who was a close friend of mine. All in all, I believe I made the right decisions by not compromising my position as a mentor, nor my friendship, however it was difficult. An 'aha' moment occurred when Marcia Tate was here. I immediately began making all my lessons brain-compatible in every subject, not just the "fun" subjects.It was a success! My students kept saying how much fun this school year was, how they have not had so much fun in school ever! When 2:00 arrived each day, students would say, "It's 2:00 already! The day flew by! You're the best Mrs. Thorne!" I know that it was much in part due to these T.S.S. courses that I took that helped me make lessons more engaging, both brain-compatible and differentiated instruction. Thanks Betsy for all you did. I know that the ultimate goal was to help my mentee have a successful year, however I ended up having the best teaching year I've ever had.
Wow. I can't believe this is the end of this year. I have learned so much as we trained to be TSS this year. As I look back at the year with my mentee and what we have learned, I would say that my strengths are that I am very personable, I can put myself into their shoes, be there for them to vent, but also be a resource for curriculum. I feel that my mentee and I have a great relationship both inside and outside of the classroom.
ReplyDeleteAs for challenges, I think that sometimes my eagerness to help and give sample lessons and tips can be at times overwhelming to a new teacher who really just needs me to listen. This is an area in which I hope to become a better mentor. I also feel that balancing a schedule next year that has me teaching 3 preps each term and being available for my mentee whenever he/she might need me could pose a challenge. I will just have to work very hard to make sure i am available
Rosie Reynolds
ReplyDeleteI am anxious to begin this journey. I didn't have the opportunity to have a mentor and feel that I needed it because I began my teaching career as a provisional teacher of special education. I then transitioned from special education to regular education. I hope that I will be an inspiration mentor to my mentor.
I am going to absorb all the information that is available from the district mentors and online to help me with the process.
Rosie Reynolds
ReplyDeleteMarcia Tate
I throughly enjoyed the session with Marica Tate. I have to admit that I have used a raised voice as a classroom management tool. I hate this and plan to completely stop and use silence. I have used silence and other strategies that Mrs. Tate. Other strategies she presented have been helpful. I am going to read the book indepth during the summer. I was inspired! Thank you!
Rosie Reynolds
ReplyDeleteI have learned a great deal from this training and process. I hope that I have been a positive role model for the mentee. The relationshp gained from this experience will be invaluable. I hope that the mentee was helped by our mentee/mentor relationship. In the future, I will take what I have learned from this process to help other new teachers become great teachers. Thanks for the opportunity.