| DESIGNER | LEADER | LEARNER | MENTOR |
| COMMUNICATOR | COACH |
| Having a coach
and being a coach both present real challenges for me as a person, as I
have been both in my life. The professional
relationship may evolve over time, as roles are continuously redefined
based on needs, circumstances, personalities, beliefs, and
philosophies and that is welcomed and expected. That
said, the goals and
benefits of mentoring are
clear: moving our profession forward with better-prepared and
more effective teachers in the classrooms. The job of a mentor is very much like that of a coach. A coach encourages others to be their best. A coach does the "model, coach, fade" paradigm on a daily basis. One models the skill being learned and gives explanations whenever necessary. A coach sets expectations and teaches the discipline needed to reach these expectations. A mentor encourages others by giving constructive feedback. However, this feedback should be designed carefully. It is important that a mentor looks at a message or assignment thoroughly in search of the real message. For example, the mentor should always make sure that there is no danger of quitting or failing. If so, the mentor should offer encouragement on a more personal level. Other areas the mentor should look for is whether the message has to do with their relationship; organizing, managing, or self-regulating; or the content learning and conceptual understanding. The feedback should be focused on these things with the intention of bringing the message back to the learning at hand and how to stay on track. you are coaching a class on using higher order thinking skills and how to be self-reliant when problem-solving. A coach models skills by actually doing them. If a football coach tells his players to follow through when passing the ball and then does not do that himself, the players will never see how important that step can be to success on the field. I used this several times as a coach. For example, when I noticed one of our players not in the proper stance or alignment on the line for football, I would step in and demonstrate several times. I would then have the player do it with my correcting, as necessary--several times. I would then turn the player back out on the field to execute it in real time. The last part is a mentor is responsible for their own actions. I see so many teacher be hypocritical here. They want respect, yet treat people poorly. They want well thought out and responsive answers, yet do not model this behavior in class for their mentee. It is important that the expectations that we have for our mentees are being followed ourselves. If I expect timely responses, I must give them as well. If I expect respectful communication, I must model it at all times and with out hesitation. To not do so, is the epitome of hypocrisy and will destroy the foundation of the relationship. Lastly, from a coaching perspective, everyone benefits from discipline. It is a natural way of life to have boundaries and rules. We have laws in this country and we have socially accepted practices that most of us follow. There is no reason why we should not have discipline in our workplace as well. A mentor can encourage their to follow their own schedule, set goals for themselves, and utilize different strategies for thinking and learning. I have always done this with my students: firm but fair. Helps guide the classroom experience and makes the mentor/mentee partnership stronger. |
