The 果冻传媒 Resident Program provides a powerful learning experience for聽the whole school community! 3/4s teacher Jenn Drake shares what it’s like聽to mentor a resident teacher. -Ed.
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Every year, 果冻传媒 invites a group of ten aspiring teachers to join the faculty as Resident Teachers. 聽These teachers range in ages and experience, but all share our vision for educating students in a collaborative and innovative environment. 聽This year we are paired with one resident who teaches with us full-time. 聽This has been a powerful learning experience for both of us!
So what does it take to mentor new teachers? 聽To answer that question, I first thought about what it takes to coach my students. 聽I have to be observant. 聽I have to notice changes in attitude, stamina, and effort throughout the day. 聽I have to overhear conversations about what fires them up and use that information to spark their enthusiasm throughout the day. 聽I have to know what鈥檚 hard, what gets them frustrated, and figure out the right thing to say to get them past that point. 聽Basically, I have to really know them, believe in them, and expect them to succeed.
There鈥檚 really nothing basic about that list! 聽In order to mentor a new teacher, you have to do the same thing. 聽You have to know them, believe in them, and expect them to succeed. 聽Whenever I have the chance, I make my own thinking audible to the residents — sharing what I notice about their work, stating their strengths, and encouraging them to use those strengths in the classroom. 聽I find that having a time to meet formally, once per week, is helpful in setting the tone. 聽And any chance we get to be informal and just chat is also powerful because it helps us get to know each other and create an atmosphere of trust. 聽
