John: Teaching-It Takes a Village

In my last post, I mentioned how my teaching situation lends its own set of challenges. I know every teaching situation is filled with its own nuances and difficulties so I wanted to mention some of the things that helped me through my first year of teaching and are helping me now in my second year. Hopefully, what has helped me can help you.

Last month, I participated in the South Carolina Council for Exceptional Children’s Leadership Training Institute. I was asked to sit on a panel and answer questions about the support that CEC has provided me as I transitioned from student to first year teacher and beyond. As those in attendance can attest, I can talk almost endlessly about how CEC has supported me as a teacher. From the Tool of the Week, which I mentioned in my last post to SmartBrief, Policy Insider, webinars, and many other resources, CEC has been the single biggest factor in my professional development since becoming a special educator.

However, one of the biggest helps that got me through my first year is people. I’m sure it sounds simple to say that I have had a lot of people around me that helped me get through my first year of teaching, but while simple, having those personal connections is also imperative for me to be successful.

At the meeting on Saturday, every teacher in attendance was able to testify that the connections they made with people at the state level of CEC made them the teachers they are today. I know I am not breaking any news by saying that being a special education teacher can be an isolating job. It can also be very taxing physically and emotionally. Having a support system has been the most important factor in getting through the low points.

One of my biggest supporters is my mentor. My district pairs each new teacher with a mentor who is experienced in the new teacher’s field. I am so thankful for the mentor I was assigned. My mentor listens when I need to vent frustration, celebrates when I have an accomplishment, and guides me when I don’t know what to do. The other teachers call me her sidekick.

If your district or school does not have a mentoring program, I highly recommend that new teachers find mentors at school who have been through the same things that new teachers will experience or apply for the CEC/CEC-PD Mentoring Program.

For more experienced teachers, I would highly recommend that you be a mentor for new teachers in your area. You can have an immeasurable impact on that new teacher and on every student that teacher influences. In my opinion teaching is all about influence. Mentoring is a way to influence others that has exponential returns on the investment put into it.

My mentor recently told me she was surprised that her first grade son knew my name even though he has never met me. I think that tells what kind of investment she has made in pushing me to be the best teacher I can be. Thanks, Stacey!

What kind of mentoring experiences have helped you become the educator you are today?

Comments

[Jacob]

I am student teaching and my school has 4 new teachers. All of the "veteran" teachers have pitched in and made it as easy as possible for them. All of the teachers communicate and filled them in on what to expect from student A or how to handle student B if they aren't doing their homework. It has been an amazing experience to see all of the teachers working together towards a common goal

[John]

@Nina thanks for the comment. I think it is great that you turned a bad experience into a positive one for all the new teachers at your school. Way to make an impact! You might want to consider being a mentor for CEC and be able to mentor many new special education teachers.

[Nina M.]

@ Jennie- I wish I would have read this and had a mentor my first year of teaching. While I too had wonderful placement situations for student teaching, when I started teaching I actually had a teacher tell me to stop asking her questions because I was not her responsibility. So much for all the collaboration talk I was hearing about at my university. When my school has a new teacher, I make a point of welcoming him/her and letting them know that they can come to me if they need anything. I usually expect to learn something from the new teacher too.

[John]

@K Griffin The idea of a PLC sounds like an awesome idea. I really like it, and you got me thinking about how to do that in my situation. When you mentioned needing support from other professionals it reminded me of something one of my professors told me before my first year of teaching. She said every teacher needs to make friends with the secretary, custodian, lunch person, and attendance person because we will desperately need one of them to help us at some point. Thanks for the thoughts.

[John]

@Alley it is awesome to hear that you have such a great support system! Your support will be invaluable this year during student teaching, but especially next year when you begin teaching. I still keep in touch with several of my professors who give me help and suggestions.

[K. Griffin]

I really like the idea of having a mentor during your first year(s) of teaching. I think especially in special education is it important you make those strong connections with not only the special education staff but the gen. ed teachers and administration as well. They all play a big part in how well you, and your students, will doing during that first year. Right now I am doing my student teaching in a developmental disabilities classroom and it has been eye opening to me how much my cooperating teacher relies on the other staff and special education teachers to make her own classroom successful. The teachers meet once a week in what is called a PLC (professional learning community) to discuss problems they are having or brainstorm ways to work with a particular child who may be struggling.It is essential to sometimes hear someone elses point of view on a situation and gain new ideas or teaching methods and makes everyone a better teacher, even those who have been teaching for a very long time.

[Alley Chai]

Right now I am currently doing my student teaching, but I have been given the wonderful opportunity to be placed with an amazing mentor teacher. My mentor has been in the field of special education as either a speech pathologist or special educator for over 40 years. She still has the energy of a first-year teacher and truly has a love for the students she teaches. She wants to help these students succeed both in and out school. Due to this, she has helped me immensely already, and it is only the third week of school. She allows me to ask questions, make suggestions, figure things out when I am not sure what to do. She lets me reflect on the day with and plan for the next one after school. If I need help with an assignment on the weekend, I can talk to her anytime. I am very fortunate to be working with her.

However, she is not the only person in my support system. I also have my advisor at my college who is always there for me to bounce ideas off of and get help any time I need it. She has been one of the most influential people for me as a future educator. She has been the one to teach me so many of the skills I have needed to be a special educator.

Finally, there is my family, who are the key people in my support system. My mom, also a special educator, is there for me every day after school when I need to talk through a situation, get new ideas, or just to listen to me vent. My husband is there for me at any time I need it. He is a wonderful man and continues to be the most supporting person in my life. There are days where I wouldn't know what to do with out them.

These are the people who have allowed me to grow as an educator, get through the hard times, and celebrate the great times. I think that with a support group a person can do anything they set their mind to.

[John]

@Pat I think the mentoring program is great! To have such knowledgeable and skilled teachers, such as yourself, as resources for younger teachers is invaluable. Keep up the good work as a mentor!

[John]

@Jennie I'm so glad you have a good student teaching placement! As a student teacher, your placement makes all the difference in the world. Between student teaching and my teaching career now, I have experience both positive and negative ends of the support spectrum, and I couldn't have imagined the difference that having negativity around you makes. It sounds like you have a good foundation for a great teaching career!

[Pat Hensley]

Thank you for promoting the CEC mentoring program. I have been a mentor for the past 3 years and I find that I am learning from my mentees as much as they may be learning from me. I have found through the program that mentoring is not a one way street and well worth the time and effort. I'm glad that you have a great mentor!

[jennie]

I am still in my student teaching, but I have an incredible placement situation. The teacher I work with, works hand in hand with all the resource teachers and the resource secretary/counselor at the high school level...so all in all I have a whole department of mentors. I couldn't imagine teaching down the road with out having a community in the school that I work in that was a support network for each other. I love the idea of having someone or people to bounce ideas off of and get feed back from. It is also helpful in the program I am being exposed to, as the educators all fill each other in the progress of each student in the low incident and mild/mod classes because they are spread out between their classes. It makes the program running smoothly and creates a strong and open relationship amongst all the faculty and staff in that department. I will definitely be looking for a mentor when I get out on my own.