Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/994766
that a good mentor : • Respects what you're tr ying to do, and helps push you to solve the problem using a different perspective. • Listens, but knows when to hold up her hand to make you pause and listen. • Collaborates, shares the air, and lives for reciprocal learning. • Celebrates your successes. • Gives you a safe space to vent, air, complain, and feel shame. • Models best practices while still appreciating differences in teaching style. I' ll also throw this out there: Newer t each ers can b e m entors, too. Men- torship doesn't have to be based on seniority — it can also be about those who can help us rise in our practice and in our spirit. It isn't all about content area and pedagogical expertise; it's also about attitude and leadership. e young teacher I was assigned to mentor through our induction program in California could have just as easily been my mentor the moment she set foot on our campus. She was talented, yes, but she was also a born learner who celebrated others' successes, lit up at the thought of being challenged, and was honest with all those around her. I learned a lot from her. If you are without a mentor at this time, seek to find one. (You may need to go off campus if you don't find a viable candidate on yours.) We know that con- tinued and consistent mentorship helps retain good teach ers, improve th eir teaching practice, keep them engaged in the profession, and improve the practice of mentors themselves. We sh oul d alway s se ek out th e se special relationships, regardless of where on the seniority list we fall. Open your door to becom- ing a mentor. Raise your hand when formally asked to mentor others. Maybe it's through an induction program or taking on a student teacher. Trust that you have something to give. Which brings me back to Liz. e way we pass on the wisdom of our own mentors, ensuring that their ideas and positivity are immortal on a school site, is through being available ourselves. After Liz retires, her classroom will be filled by a new teacher or a transferred teacher who might just need to know it's fine to close your door and grab a few laughs on a Friday at lunch. Heather Wolpert-Gawron, San Gabriel Teachers Association, is a middle school teacher and PBL coach. Copy- right 2018 Edutopia.org; George Lucas Educational Foundation. " Mentors push back and disagree with you, help you develop your educational voice, help hone your academic blade." 21 J U N E / J U L Y 2 018