It is an acim teacher to teach or mentor the teachers. The mentors are the ones who provide the required guidance and support to the teachers along with the necessary inputs and suggestions for teaching the content. The mentors keep the teachers motivated all the time by de-stressing them through counseling. Sometimes, these mentors can work as a catalyst in rewarding the teacher in the first year of her profession. Mentoring programs help the new teachers with the guidelines the veteran teacher can learn the new teaching techniques and strategies and keep themselves updated with the modern trend in the education industry.
Few tips to be borne in mind while mentoring the teachers:
1. Ask the new teacher about her next moves. Give an opportunity to the teacher to address her own challenges and work out a necessary solution to the same. Sometimes, the new teacher might have come up with the solution but needs a reassurance that the solution worked out is on the right track. This opportunity will necessarily motivate the new teacher.
2. As a mentor it is your duty to build trust. Learn to listen to the new teacher with an open and accepting attitude. Assure the teachers that they can look up to you when they are in need of guidance. You can even praise the teacher for any achievement. Let the new teacher celebrate her success with the students in the class, parents and the administrative staff.
3. The new teacher needs to understand that failures are stepping stones to success. You need to make the teacher understand that every lesson is not going to be successful but this failure gives you an opportunity to evaluate one’s own teaching strategies and make necessary changes as and when required. Be flexible to the teacher’s requirements. You need to remember one thing, the relation of the teacher with you is subject to change as the teacher will learn and be more confident during her growth as the teacher.
4. Communication is the best key. You as a mentor must keep yourself updated with the new techniques and the tools the teacher is using in her teaching career. You can maintain a contact with the teachers through phone, mail etc.
5. You can enquire with the teacher about the class and the performance of the students. Bear it in mind that the new teachers may hesitate to bring about their difficulties. You can determine the teacher’s comfort ability based on the answers and her ease in dealing with the challenges.
6. Encourage the new teachers to share the happenings of the classroom and address the difficulties that they face in the process of teaching. Give an understanding ear to all the queries the teacher may put across and answer them patiently.
7. Develop and maintain a personal and a professional relation with the new teachers.
8. Help the new teachers with the necessary resources she is looking for. You as a mentor may not be aware of all the answers but you can always play a key role in connecting the new teachers with the proper resources.