The single, greatest influence (of what kind of teacher you will be) is the person you train under as a student teacher or intern. I was blessed to work with two of the best teachers on the planet as an intern. Later, during my first years of actual teaching, I worked with absolute professionals who showed me the ropes. That made all the difference in the world. It shortened the learning curve, gave me valuable training on how to do the job, allowed me opportunities to make mistakes(you are going to make those!), allowed me to ask questions, and gave me opportunities to be successful. Furthermore, they were just great people who gave me a benchmark of great teamwork personified. You may be given a mentor by the system, or you may have to find one on your own. So, I thought I might provide some qualities of people you should look for when trying to find someone to mentor you into the professional that you need to be.
Mentors need to be great teachers. You are going to be a direct reflection of how good your mentor(s) is. You must train with the best in order to be the best. Their positive habits will rub off on you. Classroom management, lesson preparation, the level of creativity incorporated into lesson, pedagogical knowledge, how to interact with colleagues/students/families, and more…you learn a lot of that from them. I have seen student teachers (with lots of potential and drive) placed with subpar teachers. Many of them didn’t make it. They didn’t learn what they needed. A great mentor is going to model and teach what you need in order to be a great teacher. Importantly, they are going to offer you the opportunities to teach and be successful at it. They will also offer useful feedback.
Mentors need to be trustworthy. There is a grapevine or rumor mill in every corporate office in America, and school buildings are not exempt. You are going to make mistakes as a new teacher. You are not going to know some things that you should know. You don’t want any of that making it into the rumor mill. You need a mentor who can guide you and protect your professional privacy(unless it is safety related).
Mentors need to be well connected and respected. Listen, you need a job! Your mentor is going to be a huge part of that process, and good mentors know this. If they think you are good, they will use their connections to help you find employment. They will be more than thrilled to do that. They will write reference letters, make phone calls, you name it. I have found this to be true over and over again…principals do not like hiring people who don’t have a solid reference from a close connection. Your mentor will often be that connection.
Mentors need to be of strong character. To put it bluntly, they have to be one of the most dependable people in your circle. They are going to need to be willing to take a text, phone call, or email at all hours. Why? Some of your questions are going to be time sensitive. And the advice they give is going to go a long way on you getting things right.
Pro Tip: What do I do if my assigned mentor is lousy? It happens. Sometimes you get a mentor who actually doesn’t want the job. Well, your next step find someone else in that building, find someone in your college of education, or find someone in your school system who can do this. There are many great teachers willing to help, but be ready to earn their respect. They have seen lots of student teachers walk through that door. They have to know that you want to be good. Be prepared to listen to what they tell you, and then go do it. Be prepared to work hard. Be prepared to hear criticism. You want to surround yourself with the best. And if you aren’t sure who that is in your building, just remember that you will know a tree by the fruit they they bear. Look at their students, see how they treat people. Are they looked up to? Do they utilize creativity? I suspect you will know a great teacher when you see one. Then be ready to pick their brain.
A mentor must always guide, never push. It was my job to listen to them, offer my perspective, and encourage them to pursue the ideals they believed to be true. ~ John Wooden, UCLA Basketball Coach
