How to Become a Mentor Teacher
Teaching is a noble occupation at the core of the educational system. If you are a teacher, you may consider becoming a mentor teacher to help guide a young teacher into the field. As a mentor teacher you will allow a student to learn what you do, help them develop their own teaching styles and guide them toward their own career. You will need dedication to become a mentor teacher. Most of the mentoring is done in addition to your own teaching responsibilities. If you can share your wisdom and skill as a teacher you will have the fulfilling experience of guiding a new teacher into the classroom.
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Instructions
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Teach at a school, community college or university. To become a teacher mentor you must first develop teaching experience. Programs that hire mentor teachers vary on levels of experience but you can count on needing at least one year and upward of three years teaching experience before you can meet this standard.
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Practice your ability to give evaluations. As a teacher, you may be experienced in communicating with your students about lesson plans and assignments. As a mentor, you will be helping a young teacher develop and will need to become comfortable with giving constructive feedback. One way that you can practice this skill would be to ask a fellow teacher to allow you to observe their class. After the class, write your thoughts on what you have observed and sit with you colleague and evaluate their work. Ask your colleague to tell you if they felt comfortable with your methods and receive feedback from them on how to improve this part of your development.
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Learn how to work with others. In your role as a mentor teacher you will help guide a new teacher; you will need to be able to share your classroom with them. Before you apply for a mentor teaching position, take the time to go to colleagues and ask them to jointly create lesson plans that can be utilized in both of your classrooms. Work together and suggest content, teaching philosophy, and implementation of ideas that will get you in the collaborative mode of teaching. This will prepare you for your role as a mentor teacher.
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Accept and become aware of diversity and cultural differences present in student teacher populations. You may be assigned to a young teacher who is faced with challenges in reaching their academic and career goals. You will need to be aware of the challenges that some first generation teachers face. For example, Breakthrough Austin, in Austin, Texas, is a program designed to provide mentors for potential teachers aged 16 to 23. In their program they specifically request that mentor teachers become aware of diverse populations before considering a position there. If your own class experiences do not represent a diverse population consider volunteering at an after school program or at a local youth center. This can help you move beyond the set boundaries of your classroom and also add important experiences to your mentor application.
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Call your local university and inquire at their school of education about their mentor program. And the training courses they offer. Your road to becoming a mentor will require that you receive training in a seminar format before a student in placed in your classroom or care. You will be required to attend and complete pre-placement training. For example at the City College of San Francisco’s mentor teacher program, you would be required to engage in professional development seminars through a Mentor in-Service program. Such a program meets once a month and combines discussion, peer support and formalized training designed to ready you for a student in your classroom.
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Select the program that is a good fit for you and apply to it. Things to consider when considering a program are location and days that you would be expected to mentor. Consider the number of student teachers you will be expected to mentor at one time. You will receive a stipend for your participation. This varies, but can be as much as $5,000 per year depending on your location and student placement. Make sure that you are clear on how long the students will be available to you. You have the option in some cases for the mentor's practicum to be one semester. Look over available programs and find longer sessions if you are willing for a year-long program.
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References
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