Drawing Conclusions

2.18.12

Action Research:
This week I've spent some time drawing conclusions on the data collected from the mentor's survey. A trend I am noticing is that it's evident that most mentors see their role as being reactive. Among some of the most popular responses: I see my role as being a problem solver, good listening, a person who answers questions.

After finding some really good points in my literature review about the importance of strategic mentoring such as being preventative-- role playing, reflection, and observing classes-- I realize that perhaps that is an important part to include in mentor training programs, "How do you solve the problem before it starts?"

The Big, More Pressing, Question:
As we are a school "phasing out" and reducing staff each year until we no longer exist, this week our staff re-interviewed for their jobs and found out their path for next year. That being said, over 20 people found out they did not make the cut for next year. Some of the teachers reduced are the mentors of first year teachers who were invited back.

Talk about emotional resilience! I need to spend some serious time thinking about how to strategically prepare a Mentor-Mentee talking point for this week that will support both participants, no matter what their status is. On the other hand, I'm thinking there is not perfect way to do this and most pairs will need differentiated emotional support.

As researching and studying must go on, my current position may call for some extra time and support for new teachers and mentors who are now job searching-- but also need their #1 priority to be teaching their students. 

Data! Data! Data!

I have officially collected all my data. It is now time to tackle organize and dig into the numbers, statements, experiences, opinions and feedback collected. Where do I start?  


In Microsoft Word I created tables to assemble all the information, leaving spacing for pure reflection. I am hoping that by capturing some of my "ah has" I will begin to draw some conclusions, inferences, and reflections on my practice. 


At the New Teacher Symposium, I attended a session where three school districts presented their action research project on new teacher mentoring. How exciting! The Hawaii school district presented their data by using the "Here's What," "So What?" "Now what?" model. 


My "Now What?":
A) Organize Data
B) Reflect on Data
C) Ask: So What? 

14th National Symposium on Teacher Induction

Day 1

Greetings from "Shining a Light on Great Teaching." I selected a 7-hour session on the Social and Emotional Well Being of mentoring new teachers. Below I have listed several reflection questions that I have not yet found the answer to-- I think presented Wendy Baron, Laura Gschwend, Dr. Lisa Medoff, and Sarah Young really got me thinking!

• When considering the best practices of a mentor, why isn't the "warm fuzzy stuff" or the humanistic part important? Don't mentors need to be loving, caring, listeners? Researchers don't really talk about that...
• What happens in a mentor-mentee relationship when the mentor loses resilience?
• If social and emotional well being of teachers is so important, why isn't there a SMART goal, teaching standard, AYP, or state measure tied to it? "Today you will move ___% in resiliency!"
• If the state does not seem to support issues such as the social and emotional well being of teachers, can I do it on my own? What needs to happen to get there?
• How do we (mentors) support teachers in exploiting their values of teaching and learning in their lesson?
• What is something I need to know about a person to understand them better?
• What questioning stems will I adopt as a leader and a mentor to foster a problem-solving interaction which opens the door to new ideas?
• Why is it difficult to sometimes feel empathy in certain situations? What is it about the situation that challenges resiliency?

So What? I learned there are four components to social and emotional well being of teaching and mentoring: social competence, resilience, school and classroom community, and emotional competence which all work together interchangeably. I think my biggest take away here is thinking about the mentor-mentee relationship as a parallel experience. The mentor needs just as much support has the first year teacher, and the mentor needs to be just as resilient as the first year teacher.

Now What? I will use this information to guide my studies in EDU 692: Issues and Trends in Leadership Seminar. The emotional well being and school culture is a topic that fits into the criteria of being something effected by school leadership, I am passionate about, and is currently a necessity in my school and those around the nation. Check out my most updated post on this information on my linked page titled Issues and Trends in Leadership and Mentoring.

The ABCs for First Year Teachers

Check this out! As a new teacher... or perhaps mentor, what components do you think belong on this list?

THE ABCs FOR FIRST YEAR TEACHERS

(Information taken from educationworld.com as linked above)

• Admit your mistakes -- and learn from them.
• Be firm but flexible.
• Communicate with parents.
• Develop a homework policy -- and stick to it.
• Empower your students; don't just lecture to them.
• Find time to attend after-school events.
• Get to know all the teachers in your school and make friends with the cooks, custodians, aides, and secretaries.
• Have the courage to try something else if what you're doing isn't working.
• Institute a clear discipline policy -- and enforce it consistently.
• Just listen -- both to what the kids are saying and to what they're not saying.
• Keep a journal.
• Learn your school's policies and procedures.
• Model desired attitudes and behavior.
• Non carborundum ignorami. (Don't let the imbeciles wear you down.)
• Overplan.
• Prepare interesting lessons.
• Quit worrying and just do your best.
• Remember that you teach students first, then you teach whatever academic discipline you learned.
• Stay alert.
• Take pictures.
• Understand that the learning process involves everyone -- teachers, students, colleagues, and parents -- and get everyone involved.
• Volunteer to share projects and ideas, and don't be afraid to ask others to share their ideas with you.
• Work within your limits.
• Xpect the unexpected -- and plan for it!
• Yell if you need support.
• Zero in on your strengths, not your weaknesses. (Remember -- nobody's perfect!)

Finally, keep in mind the words of Philadelphia teacher Lew Clark: "Have a blast! You are about to begin a remarkable adventure."

Megan's Response: YES! I would add "Humor" for the letter "H". When I was a first year teacher I had the opportunity to listen to Barry Lane speak about English education in the high school. He said, "Humorists allow us to read the world." I will never forget that. Truly it is important to have a sense of humor as a teacher. After all, we are surrounded by PEOPLE all day-- shouldn't we encourage humanistic behavior? Two specific readings come to mind...

If you Don't Feed the Teachers They Eat the Students: Guide for Success for Adminsitrators and Teachers

&

Don't Smile Until Christmas: Accounts of the First Year of Teaching

So my question is stewing... How do we best support first year teachers through all the high stakes testing, building a successful welcoming classroom community, and everything else, from A-Z and still encourage them smile, remain motivated and enjoy the ride?