Monday, August 22, 2011

This mentor teacher has a lot to learn from her protege!

The last few years I have been called upon to share, present and host visitors in my classroom. This has been a rewarding experience because often educators don’t get the feedback from the work they put into the classroom. This year is a bit different.  I am a mentor. I have been a mentor in the past and have tried very hard to avoid this situation because it can be time consuming and down-right draining! But this year… the bright little spark plug that I have the honor of working with has brought a fresh perspective to my surroundings. We meet and I listen to her concerns, but I’m doing a significant amount of observing as well. I haven’t been in to observe her in action yet… but I am more fascinated by her organization of materials. Have you ever noticed there is no clutter in your first year of teaching? You haven’t accumulated your clutter yet! You don’t have the lovely bookends from the class of ’04 or the plaque from a former student who graduated and was in your first class ever! The new teacher rooms use a minimalist approach. It is with a refreshed and energized heart I am now able to let go of the literacy games I handmade that haven’t been touched in years! If I am not using it, I don’t need it! (Or at least I hope I don’t!!)
As I have watched this protege observe the interactions and quick exchanges between the veteran teachers, I know she is trying to see where she fits in. I want to do my best to see she has a good introduction to our profession. It is important to show her high expectations for myself without imposing them on others. I want her to see me set goals that are challenging but realistic and to persevere in the face of barriers. I want her to know the 3 non-negotiable in teaching; collaboration, thinking and change! She is a talent and the education world needs her. A professional and nurturing environment is imperative. As I am observing her, I am seeing my former self- fresh out of college. The mentor and protege are on parallel courses. She is filling her bag with teaching tricks and I continue to fill my bag with teaching tricks as well.
This new protege is so excited and grabs on to all the new information and easily sorts it and retrieves it at an amazing speed! I on the other hand, think… ‘Which book did I read that in?’ ‘Which book study was that?’ ‘Where did I file that?’ and I consider myself an organized person! After years of workshops and ‘the significant training of the season’, I now know, you don’t hold on to all of it. You hold on to the pieces you know to be accurate, helpful and true to work for kids. Over time, when you have experience and worthwhile training, you can weigh to determine the most important piece. You know, the piece or pieces that are going to make the most significant difference in the classroom. It is inevitable your bag of tricks will grow with experience.  I am also finding it is inevitable you will need to place lesser important information on the back burner or sometimes in the recycling bin to allow the cream to rise to the top.
So, as I clean out my cabinets and make room for clear space and new information, I know my job with my protegee is to listen, paraphrase and consult when it’s necessary. But along the way, I’m noticing… it can be done without the clutter… you know all the unused ‘treasures’ in our cabinets.  The protege is showing me the ‘treasures’ don’t make the learning happen. The teaching clutter in the cabinets can actually inhibit your craft. It’s the efficacious teacher who makes it happen. This mentor teacher has a lot to learn from her protege.  

7 comments:

  1. You're right... newbies never have clutter. Maybe we should all purge ourselves every few years so that we can declutter our classrooms (and our heads).
    SAS

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  2. You are giving me motivation to get rid of my own "handmade literacy games" that I won't use this year or next! And I hope your sparkplug remains motivated. She is lucky to have you as a mentor!

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  3. The advice is worthy for all veteran teachers. You are so wise to intuit the value that this new teacher holds for you. I especially like "to allow the cream to rise to the top". I am often caught in that 'too much information' land, so I will use your advice this year, and use the re-cycling bin more often!

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  4. I love this line: "The teaching clutter in the cabinets can actually inhibit your craft." Thanks for an insightful post.
    Ruth

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  5. Your "bright little spark plug" is lucky to have you to guide her in her first year. A lot of learning will be happening, for both of you.

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  6. Always so much to learn from each other. You are wise and open to life--your protege is very fortunate.

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  7. Great post. I went through the same thing a couple of years ago when I shared a room with a young teacher. She is a person who keeps things on her computer or in unit notebooks, but is constantly getting rid of things she knows she will no longer use. I found that I slowly began to get rid of things too. It's nice, not to be surrounded by clutter!

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