Teachers supporting teachers: Series 2, Episode 10 - Developing a meaningful relationship with your mentor teacher
Teachers supporting teachers: Series 2, Episode 10
Developing a meaningful relationship with your mentor teacher
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In this episode Nadine Crane returns and we are focusing on the mentor teacher and our relationship with them as pre-service teachers. This is a great topic to explore as it can be one of the most critical relationships but also most stressful relationship during our studies.
Mentoring, what is it and why is it important? Let’s tune into this and unpack the mentor relationship as a professional relationship that is closely connected to your professional growth as a teacher. We highlight the benefits and importance of having a mentor, and maintaining multiple mentors, throughout your career. A mentor relationship is key to your professional growth, offering insights perspectives and assistance to you. And if you invest in developing a rapport you can find that the relationship is based on some crucial elements underpinned by them being a guide, helpful, someone who models best practice, allows you to ask questions and explore different options, provides tips and strategies, and allows you to explore, discover and experiment with your ideas through mutual respect and care.
Remember also that each mentoring relationship can look different, some are formal relationships (like a mentor teacher for professional experience) and informal (where they might not necessarily know you see them as a mentor but who still provides you with significant rich information to support your growth). And it is important to remember that the relationship is embedded in learning —we are learning from each other; what we learn is different but is connected to gleaning new perspectives.
The mentor relationship is far more than signing off on a mentor report, and when we keep this in perspective of the context, there will be different levels of interactions in regard to a feedback loop throughout our discussions.
In this episode we talk about how to develop a relationship – some key dos and don’ts, while also offering some insights into how you can develop a relationship that flourishes. We do touch on what happens’ when it does go wrong as we reflect on some of the commonly reported situations where a mentor teacher and pre-service teacher relationship goes slightly pear shaped.
We also advocate for mentoring during and beyond professional experience - seeing mentors as vital throughout your career. As a pre-service teacher your mentor teacher is one of your first mentors within your professional community to help you develop your practice and continue to grow as a teacher. And we encourage investment in this relationship.
Throughout the episode we ask a few questions and discuss some top tips to support your approach to developing a meaningful relationship with your mentor. Here are some captured to get you started:
What do you do to make connections?
What does your communication look like?
How do you consider time and approachability?
How do you seek out feedback to support you to grow?
How do you gather feedback across formal meetings and spontaneous conversations on the run?
How do your respond to feedback, especially if it is something that surprises you, isn’t what you expected or is confronting?
How could someone self perceive you?
How could you do something differently?
What are your organisational strategies?
How do you organise your time while on professional experience?
How do you present yourself as you move around the school and engage with others? What professional story are you telling?
How do you express appreciation and gratitude for the support offered?
How are you being proactive?
How do you show initiate?
How are you an active listener?
how do you show interest?