Most schools match new teachers with mentors. What are ways to make the most of a mentorship relationship?

Profile image for Linda Dixon Profile image for Brian Lassiter Profile image for Brandie Loomis Ed.S
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When I am mentoring a new teacher I do the following:
*I make them feel comfortable about asking questions because I need to know what advice they want for me so that they can be successful.
*I listen to their concerns and give them honest advice.
*Be open minded and know that a mentor teacher can also learn from a new teacher. They often have great resources and ideas to bring to the profession.

When you have time (or ask your admin for some time), go in and observe your mentee. It shouldn't be a surprise. Meet with your mentee beforehand and ask for something they may want your help with so that you can narrow your focus on what they need assistance with. If this is not an option, you can also have the mentee record themselves teaching and you can sit down with them and talk about what you both see together!

Before jumping in with suggestions, take the time to get to know your mentee. Building trust will create an open relationship. Look for the positives and build from there.

Both you and your mentor's time is very precious, so in order to maximize your meeting time, I like to send questions ahead of time. This goes for the mentee sending things to the mentor and vice versa. This allows both people to be prepared and make the most of your time!

There have been a lot of great ideas mentioned in this thread. I believe after all the formalities have been set, you set realistic, attainable goals. Start small and share their successes. Provide immediate feedback and constructive criticisms. Even though they are a certified teacher, they are still a student and learning.

Michigan requires the following:
Teachers within their first three years of employment in classroom teaching be assigned a mentor and also receive 15 days of additional professional development beyond the days required in MCL 380.1527 over those first three years. Below, please find supports related to mentoring and induction practices in Michigan. https://www.michigan.gov/mde/services/ed-serv/educator-retention-supports/mentoring-and-induction-supports. Our district offers a $500 stipend and the principal makes the arrangement. I believe a great addition to this would be for a team of experts to form a mentor/ship team for the candidate. I recently was reading about ASU's Next Education Workforce: Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College works with schools and other partners to 1) provide all students with deeper and personalized learning by building teams of educators with distributed expertise and 2) empower educators by developing better ways to enter the profession, specialize and advance. This is a team approach to mentorship and it sounds like a very innovative approach to mentorship!
https://workforce.education.asu.edu/