Filled with real-life vignette, this book focuses on mentoring teachers in a variety of school settings. Developing effective mentoring relationships through sensitivity to cultural and age differences is a focus.
This book is perfect for new teachers, mentors, university professors and university students, professional developers, and educators in a variety of settings. Supporting new teachers is critical and ultimately the student is the one who really benefits. This book is about supporting new teachers and their mentors, which originally, was the initial relationship of the co-authors.
Mentoring and Coaching: A Lifeline for Teachers in a Multicultural Setting is filled with real-life stories of teachers - both new and mentors, and their roles in building an effective mentoring relationship. Cultural and age differences is a focus.
Excerpt
Chapter 1 - Teacher-to-Teacher: Making a Difference
Chapter 2 - The Voice of the Struggling Teacher
Chapter 3 - Teacher Leaders and Their Roles as Mentors
Chapter 4 - Characteristics of Effective Coaching
Chapter 5 - Communication
Chapter 6 - Mentoring in a Large Multicultural Urban District: Induction Programs and a Case Study
Chapter 7 - Professional Development Through Learning Opportunities
Chapter 8 - Lessons Learned
Tables, Figures, Reference, Reproducible Resources, and Appendix included
Chapter 2 - The Voice of the Struggling Teacher:
Page 22...Many teachers, whether new and early-career or seasoned, at times experience a feeling of isolation, with no one to turn to. Maybe you have felt that too. Sometimes even talented teachers with great potential end up being totally worn out. There have been many comparisons between education, law, medicine, and trades; education has been known as a profession that eats its young, where a 'sink or swim attitude is apparent (Gudwin, 2002, p. 46)...
Page 27... Spotlight on Joanna: What can we learn from a new teacher? Having a dialogue with a successful first-year teacher can teach us a great deal about supporting new teachers. Whether you are a new teacher yourself, a seasoned mentor, an administrator, a university professor, a university student, or a person interested in supporting new teachers, listen to the words of wisdom from a first-year teacher who was recognized as a top "Rookie of the Year." Joanna was a first-year teacher through Teach for America, the national corps of recent college graduates who commit two years to teach in low-income schools in the effort to expand educational opportunity. She did not have a background in educational pedagogy, but she quickly rose to the top, despite the cultural differences at her school. Assigned to teach in a low-performing school in a large urban setting, she shares some of her joys and tips with us:
'Something that helped me during my first-year teaching was holding high expectations for all my students. We were constantly working toward our big goals. My students and I knew what these goals were, as they drove our actions on a daily basis.
Observations by my Teach for America program director helped me, followed by discussions during which we would troubleshoot some problems that I thought I was having. I was truly supported by my first-grade team, but especially by the first-grade teacher next door to me. Our reading coach came to me when I was setting up my classroom and spent hours setting it up with me, making sure I have what I needed for success. She also observed me while I was teaching and gave me positive feedback. I appreciated those noncritical observations and the opportunity to brainstorm solutions for aspects that weren't working. Having honest conversations about teaching benefited both of us...
I constantly reflect on what I do and I'm hard on myself, so I"m always thinking things could be going better than they are. Self-reflection is what really makes a teacher better... '
Joanna succeeded in doing wondrous things with her students. She is one of those phenomenal teacher who, with quality support, outshine all expectations.
Chapter 3... Teacher Leaders and Their Roles as Mentor:
Page 44... Spotlight on Ms. Cartaya, mentor: '... it was time for me to give back to the field of education a fragment of what I had received through the years. I wanted to share my expertise and years of experience with newcomers. But little did I know that mentoring could enrich my teaching career in such a way.,,'
Page 45... Relationships are formed and oftentimes flourish. As numerous new teachers shared their thoughts with us, the support stands out: Rachel states, 'Outstanding support and guidance leads to outstanding teachers,' Ms. Malats share, 'She was my support line... I know I was able to learn so much more and grow as a professional with her assistance.' Mariela said, 'She was like a backbone for me.'
Chapter 8, Lessons Learned:
Page 138... Everything we do as mentors, every little task of mentoring or supporting, assisting or listening, coaching or guiding, is a step toward the success line for our new teachers. As new teachers shared with us frequently, even the small steps can sometimes be overwhelming, and sometimes made possible only because there was a lifeline just a whisper away.
"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble." Helen Keller, 1880-1968
Lessons Learned: We learned that we must treat each small task as if it is great and noble. We also learned that being that lifeline to our new teachers and to our mentors is what we need to do. We learned that the winners of this journey were all of us - the planning and implementation team, both the new teachers and their mentors. And most important, the real winners were and must always be the students, the core of what we do, the heartbeat of it all.
Professional Reviews
Lisa Delpit, Author, Other People's Children, Eminent Scholar, Center for Urban Education and Innovation
"These two remarkable educators not only document the development of their own relationship from mentor/mentee to professional colleagues, they also draw from their own experiences, research studies, and the real voices of countless new teachers to provide an excellent, hands-on guide for perfecting the mentoring role in multicultural settings. Kudos!"
Ann Nevin, Author, Professor Emerita, Arizona State University
"The authors take an important multicultural approach to mentoring by showing how teachers from different cultural heritages translate concepts into practices. Their concrete examples at different grade levels explain how struggling teachers can become successful. Easy to read and understand, this book contains valuable resources, self-assessment tools, and tips for effective communication that will ensure successful implementation of mentoring programs."
Joan T. Wynne, Professor, Florida International University
"Sustaining young, spirited, gifted teachers in our public schools, especially in our urban systems, is one of our country's greatest challenges in education. This book, written by two educators who have brilliantly faced that challenge and helped create a comprehensive program to retain those teachers, is a blueprint for the nation's 'way out' of losing the very people who can inspire a higher level of academic achievement for our children.
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