Common Sense Connections If a school district were to be viewed as an organization, teachers could essentially be seen as the coach-mentors that allow the ins and outs of the business to flow smoothly. Stakeholders or clients in this case would be the students and their families. Both coaches and mentors blend or adapt competencies and personal philosophies according to the needs of their clients (Parsloe & Leedham, 2016),just as teachers adapt and adjust based on the needs of their students and their districts. However, great teachers do not just appear overnight. It takes time, practice, and most likely a mentor of their own, to help mold them into the superheroes that they are today. Most, if not all teachers, at one point or another had their own unique student-teaching experience. I was fortunate to have had a cooperating teacher who treated me with respect and made me feel valued from day one of my student teaching practicum. That is not always the case for every hopeful education major awaiting to a make a difference in the world, but even a less fortunate student teaching experience is helpful as it shows you styles and practices that you want to avoid. There is always something to learn through working with others, and it is what one does with that knowledge that further helps great teachers to stand out amongst a faculty. As a third-year Spanish teacher, I would say that it is unlikely that I would have a student-teacher to mentor anytime soon. With that said, on a daily basis my students are all my mentees or “learners”. As teachers, we wear many hats and there are different aspects of students’ lives that collectively, we are able to be a part of. Whether a student is trying to master grammar concepts in my Spanish course, or simply needs someone to vent to during study hall, I am constantly in a position where my words and actions have the potential to mold a student’s life in some way. The way in which I carry myself as a teacher-mentor then, must be done in a consistently positive, professional, and motivating manner. Afterall, for some students, teachers are the only support system available.
Classroom management is something that even the most veteran of teachers can still struggle with. One of my biggest take ways from my own student teaching experience was that when it comes to classroom management, simplicity is key! Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, but that does not mean it is necessarily easy for anyone and everyone to acquire (Parsloe & Leedham, 2016, p.12).However, my cooperating teacher, with her twenty plus years of experience in the field, modeled for me that it can truly be as simple as building and maintaining a strong relationship/bond with students. With an addition of your own authentic personality and humor along the way, that relationship alone is key to almost any future success in your classroom. Students understand when someone is “keeping it real” and when someone is “trying too hard”. Simply being yourself as a teacher is one of your greatest assets that can have a butterfly effect on the learning environment presented in your classroom. It requires that teachers have a strong emotional intelligence and sense of self-awareness. To already be “whole” on our own (not to be mistaken for “perfect”) prior to entering our classroom, is what allows us to help others that much more. Contrary to popular, western-cultural belief, it is rather necessary to think with both your head and your heart as there is an important connection between learning and our emotions(Parsloe & Leedham, 2016, p. 83). Students come to us with a lot of personal “baggage” and we have the means to help them focus on moving forward and to “grow through” what they are going through, rather than only seeing a situation as a setback. This can be done by using our own empathetic nature to put ourselves into their shoes and by sharing our own experiences to show them different perspectives. This can happen as simply as within an unrelated yet structured class lesson that peaks their interests, or simply during the greetings we share with our students as they enter our classroom.
Teachers must gain the trust of students in order for growth to really occur. Providing student voice and choice opportunities is one way to do so, as 21stcentury learners should be actively involved in the decision making within realistic expectations. This process can take some time, but the foundation must be laid from the start of the school year and continue thereafter. For example, at the beginning of the current school year, I had each of my class periods develop a “shared vison statement” in which we collaborated on what their purpose for taking a foreign language course was and what they hoped to learn/gain from the course. Some had career goals, others wanted to travel, and others simply enjoy history and geography. No matter the reason, a love for learning was blooming and I was able to gain insight to their intrinsic motivators (Parsloe & Leedham, 2016). Knowing what makes someone “tick” is rather helpful in the process of getting to know one’s audience and to gain their trust. It also allows you to betterset realistic objectives for the academic year and pace your course. A teacher’s mentoring style must be authentic, but also as diverse/flexible as the students’ learning styles. As a student I knew that I learned betted when I had visual examples, auditory examples, as well as hands-on opportunities. That is partly why my student teaching experiences, where I was acting as the teacher, became the most motivating and full circle portions of my undergrad career. Now as a certified teacher with my own classroom and students, I need to start recognizing how I actually have been teaching them thus far. In a general sense when it comes to instruction, I have a directive style when introducing my novice language learners to new topics of which they do not have much prior knowledge or expertise (Parsloe & Leedham, 2016). Yet I am able to also take on a more non-directive approach when needed (which is more fitting to 21stcentury learning) where I place more responsibility and control onto my students(Parsloe & Leedham, 2016). For example, when we are in a review portion of a unit, I can become more of a facilitator and essentially “flip” the classroom. By tailoring my lesson plans with backward design as I learned to do from my cooperating teacher, I can be confident that I have helped students to build up enough basic knowledge so that now they can start digging deeper into the Spanish language and culture on their own.
My content area and study abroad experiences have created a rather humanistic approach to my craft. I am very genuine and do my best to see potential (Parsloe & Leedham, 2016)in even the toughest of situations, or the toughest of students. We all have different paths in life, but at the moment I am part of their journey and I believe it is for a positive reason for the both of us. As a teacher, I am also a combination of an “activist” who can work well under pressure while maintaining enthusiasm and is willing to try new things, as well as a “reflector” who can take a step back and see my lesson from the student’s point of view when needed (Parsloe & Leedham, 2016).I take note of not only how my students are receiving and progressing through the information, but also what my own shortcomings may be that need to be improved for future instruction. To reflect requires that I not only enquire student feedback, but that put it to use. Feedback is the fuel that drives improved performance as it increases the awareness of what we are doing and howwe are doing it (Parsloe & Leedham, 2016, p. 125). During student teaching, my cooperating teacher chose her moments to critique strategically and timed them appropriately. This was the case for not only when she interacted with me, but with her students as well. She always had solid reasoning behind her suggestions, a caring tone, and made sure to also include positives that had been observed. In my case, her positives often related to how I interacted with students with ease (freely, yet professionally) and how they responded appropriately. I will never forget that on my first day of teaching one of her classes that she said, “you’re a natural” when the class had dismissed. The confidence boost and sense of trust that it provided stayed with me throughout the rest of the practicum. Due to that consistent pattern of communication, when I now receive feedback from my observing principals, I am better prepared to take any comments as onlyconstructive criticism and am open minded when I go into our pre/post observation meetings. When I grade student work or have informal conferences with them, I try to recall how I felt when I heard positive feedback first and “negative” feedback second. Hearing the positive first does not negate that other issues or areas of concerns may be present, but it allows the mentee to become more solution focused and motivated from the start of the conversation. To assist in both our observation of students and providing of feedback, we as teacher-mentors must not underestimate the sensitivity and care that are necessary to achieve mutual understanding, acceptance, and motivation to respond positively to messages that we send and receive (Parsloe & Leedham, 2016, p. 123)
Teachers as professionals and content experts can be categorized under “diversity mentoring”. We have competencies shared by both corporate mentors and qualification mentors as we help to guide our students toward college and career readiness. At the same time our daily interactions qualify us more as community mentors. Community mentors can shift between a friend-like attitude as well as an adviser, where students are able to open up about academic and non-academic concerns equally (Parsloe & Leedham, 2016).A balance of styles and philosophies in my opinion, is essential. It is important that teachers understand that sometimes “it is them”. Sometimes our lesson will flop, and we have to start fresh the next day based on both the verbal and non-verbal feedback we obtain from our classes. My cooperating teacher often said that you do not have to “reinvent the wheel”. Meaning that if something works for one class, go with it. However, if another class needs something different or more time, it is ok that things are not perfectly symmetrical across the board.
Neither learning nor teaching are linear processes. To be able to monitor and adjust is crucial. This requires that we not only be observant, but also active listeners. Conversations are a two-way street in any language. Therefore, it is necessary that when our students are speaking to us, even if it is answering a question from the white board, that we show them that they have our full attention. A simple head nod, thumbs up, etc. can go a long way. By actively listening to my students, I am also able to formulate the most appropriate response. I am learning that sometimes it is ok to pause and not respond immediately but rather first collect my thoughts. As with most things in education, it should be about quality rather than speed of production or quantity.
If all students learn differently and most teachers teach differently, keeping open lines of communications within our departments is also essential. As a faculty of “community mentors” we must recognize that it truly does “take a village” to help children succeed. Based on the positive interactions I observed that my co-op had with her language department, I was inspired to also strive for that sense of teamwork within my own building. I no longer wait for an “invitation”, but rather I take initiative. When I come across a new resource/app, or find a lesson that works really well, I share those ideas with my fellow Spanish teachers as well as the French teachers in my building. If I think something that I am doing in my lessons could be modified for other content areas, I share more information about it with the faculty through our social forums such as our district Twitter accounts or simply through emails. As teachers we often get set in our ways, but it is important to stay current. Teaching, or more so being a teacher-mentor, requires that as educators we are lifelong learners. We are all involved in a learning experience together and need to lead by example for our students in terms of teamwork (Parsloe & Leedham, 2016, p. 11). If students see that all of their teachers correspond with one another no matter their content areas, a more genuine and active learning culture can be formed. Students will not only see, but also feel that their best interest is being held at the forefront of it all. In most cases, coaching and mentoring when seen in action is simply two people having a conversation (Parsloe & Leedham, 2016, p. 9). On daily basis we have at least one opportunity to hold a conversation with our colleagues and students. Our word choice and method of delivery should be as honest, respectful, and supportive as possible, no matter the topic or duration of conversation. To be a supportive leader, mentor or coach of any kind, does not necessarily require savvy methods and techniques. Simply “being there”, truly present in conversation and observant of body language can give you all the insight and answers that you need. It may not always be simple, but it is certainly common sense! Sometime our most influential moments with students are those small conversations that we share in the hallway as they enter our room, those tears that we help them to dry when we find them crying during hall duty, those laughs that we share as learning takes place, etc. If we spend less time building walls, and more time building bridges, not only will we have more opportunity for conversation, we will have more opportunity for human connection!
References: Parsloe, E., Leedham, M. (2016). Coaching and mentoring: Practical techniques for developing Learning and performance, 3rded. New York, NY: Kogan