Discussion #7

Based upon your readings, discussions, and reflection, describe the characteristics that make
a good teacher mentor. Can these characteristics be taught? Should mentor and mentee be
matched by subject area or grade level? Do the characteristics of a quality teacher mentor
differ from those of mentors in other careers? If so, in what ways?

Post a substantive message by 11:59 PM, Thursday, April 9; Post a response by 11:59 PM,
Monday, April 13.

Throughout this course, I have completed many readings on the topic of mentor teachers.
I have researched this idea, had experiences with mentors, discussed the topic in interviews,
and reflected on this idea myself. Throughout this semester, I believe I have gained a deep
understanding of what it takes to be a good mentor teacher.
There are many characteristics that make an effective mentor teacher. First, a mentor
must be a skilled educator in their own field. A mentor should always have shown excellence
as a classroom teacher. As a teacher they should have used a variety of instructional
strategies, keep students engaged, involve parents, give students ownership in the classroom.
They should be liked and deemed effective by administration and other teachers they have
worked with. Next, an effective mentor should be good at working with others and managing
conflicts. A mentor should be a good listener, but also honest and willing to offer
constructive feedback. A mentor is a good leader and can lead through their actions instead
of only by words. A mentor must be hardworking and caring.
I believe these characteristics can both be taught and are innate. I do not believe someone
is just automatically ready to be a mentor, there is some training and skills they can learn.
However, not everyone is ready to be a mentor if they do not have the skills. Starting with the
teaching skills, I believe everyone can learn the skills needed to teach kids, however some
skills such as work ethic and truly caring about building relationships are much harder to
teach. Mentors are often these people who already have that drive to work hard and go the
extra mile. You can teach someone how to work with kids and how to manage adults, but
you cannot teach someone to care, love, and advocate for kids.
When matching a mentor and a mentee, I believe there are many factors that should be
considered. I think that mentors can often be more effective if they are not teaching the exact
same subject and grade level as the mentee. I believe there should at least be one difference,
and often times even both being different can be incredibly effective. First, often teachers in
the same grade level all work together anyways, and often collaborate. Therefore, having a
mentor that is not in this grade level will give the mentee another resource instead of
someone they would already interact with. Also, often ideas and instructional strategies do
not only work for one grade and can really be carried over, so if the mentor is from a
different grade level, they may be able to bring in new ideas. However, I think it is helpful if
the mentor has previous experience in the same grade level as the mentee. Overall, I believe
the grade level is a lot less important than subject area. If a mentor and mentee are being
matched with something in common, I believe subject helps more. Not only can this help
with vertical alignment, but also keeps them both in the similar headspace. Instructional
strategies often carry through subject areas, and it allow for better collaboration between
mentor and mentee. Even if the mentor and mentee are from different subject areas and grade
levels, I believe there is a lot of learning and teaching that can come from the relationship.
I think in many ways the characteristics of a teaching mentor are similar to mentors in
other career fields. However, there are definitely aspects that make teaching mentors unique
to their field. Mentors in any field are often the people who have shown excellence in their
position before becoming a mentor, work hard, and go the extra mile. However, a mentor
teacher is different because they have to still work with kids, while also working with adults.
Mentors often manage their own classroom while also helping some new teachers. Other
mentors step up only into that role and instead have to leave what they know and start
teaching adults instead of kids. Mentors are often expected to take on multiple roles instead
of just more of an expert in their field.