Mentor Minute

Dear Lead Mentors and Mentors:

May will wrap up our newsletters for the 2023-2024 school year. As we move into the closing of the school year, there is so much happening from celebrations and end-of-year testing to closing out classes and packing up classrooms. With so many things happening, and the culmination of the year's work, you also may feel tired and stressed. When we take time to reflect on the work that is behind us, and we begin to think of what is coming next, the phases of teaching and the acknowledgment of those phases support our efforts to combat the challenges happening in the moment. In the phases of teaching, May is all about reflection, and June is focused on anticipation of the next year.

In May, consider these actions to take with your mentees as they move through the Reflection phase:

• Use the Reflecting Template (see March Mentor Minute) to identify insights, discoveries, and/or patterns of learning with your beginning educators.
• Facilitate connection-making between personal learning and application to future decisions. For example, did you attend some professional learning together or read an article that can influence a lesson for next year? Was there an idea your mentee shared that you can help them try out?
• Review student performance data and explore cause-effect relationships.

As mentees shift into the Anticipation phase, engage in one of the following to support their needs:

• Check-in on end-of-year tasks, including record-keeping, reporting, parent communication and required documentation.
• Share the load while packing up spaces.
• Informally review an array of artifacts (ex: teacher-created activities or student work) from the year, asking about their significance, the learning they represent, and begin to generate goals for the next school year.
• Celebrate successes!
• Anticipate how to recharge, relax, and renew.

Connecting with our new educators in these ways helps them look at the impact they have had throughout the school year. As they reflect on their first year, they can look back at the progress made, the connections forged, and the growth witnessed in their students. Despite the challenges, they want to find fulfillment in knowing they've made a difference in the lives of those they teach. With excitement and anticipation, they eagerly look forward to the next year, armed with newfound knowledge, experience, and a passion for helping their students succeed.

To capture and share reflections and learnings for your new educators (and you as their mentors), here's an activity you can do together or individually. This can also be something that you do as a mentor regarding the mentoring experience this year.

Meghan Van Horne, Lead Mentor at Independence Middle School, lead learning for new educators in small groups utilizing the book Seeing the Good in Students: A Guide to Classroom Discipline in Middle School with the support of administration and mentors. New educators rotated between stations on the topics of Positive Teacher Language, Teacher Leadership Learning Styles, and Logical Consequences. Each station had an activity to be completed and an opportunity to collaborate and discuss material.

It was great to connect with some lead mentors on Monday, April 15, at Plaza Annex. Those who were able to join in on the discussion offered some insight into what a mentor needs to know, understand, and be able to do. This insight will influence our summer training for lead mentors and the training lead mentors provide to mentors.

We also looked more into what new educators said they needed for the close of the year. Those ideas were captured in this document. Please take a moment to look over these needs and consider how you can best support your mentees as you close out the school year.

As we close another inspiring journey in nurturing our new educators, it's with immense gratitude and admiration I want to thank to our invaluable lead mentors and mentors. Your unwavering dedication, guidance, and support to our new teachers have laid the foundation for countless success stories, shaping not just their careers but also the futures of the students they touch.

In the fast-paced and dynamic world of education, your role as mentors goes beyond mere instruction. You serve as beacons of wisdom, offering insights, empathy, and encouragement to our new colleagues as they navigate the complexities of the classroom. Your patience and understanding empower them to overcome challenges, celebrate victories, and continuously strive for excellence.

Every piece of advice shared, every listening ear lent, and every lesson taught reflects your profound commitment to fostering a culture of growth and learning within our educational community. Your impact transcends the confines of the classroom, resonating in the lives of students and colleagues alike, creating ripples of positive change that ripple far beyond.

Your dedication and generosity of spirit embody the very essence of mentorship, and for that, we are truly grateful.

Angela Watson has a free five-day challenge called Goodbye, Tired Teacher (Free 5 Day Challenge). This course focuses on making 5 shifts in your mindset and daily practices to make a difference in how you feel and work. This may be another way to support you and your mentee through the end of the school year. Learning together will give you something to discuss and collaborate about that is geared toward your adult well-being.

Reach out and let me know. I can model an activity for you, be a discussion partner on how an activity or strategy might work or engage with you in a solution-finding conversation around a dilemma you have.

Contact Karol Bledsoe, Professional Learning Specialist, karol.bledsoe@vbschools.com