1.
The sixth mentoring meeting focused on checking
in on the relationship. What are the
advantages of having a regular check-in?
Is that something you and your mentoring partner do periodically? If not, what gets in the way?
2.
When told there was going to be a check-in, Rafa
became worried and started to second-guess himself. What could Cynthia have done to avoid having
him get so worked up?
3.
During the course of the meeting, Rafa and
Cynthia discussed several books. What
kinds of resources could you use (or have your used) to deepen the learning for
your mentees?
4.
Therese
was a tense moment during the meeting when Cynthia challenged Rafa about his
behavior with a colleague and the expectation of apologizing. How would you have handled this
situation? Would you have been as direct
as Cynthia?
5.
Cynthia tells Rafa, “I believe in you. You have a lot of talent worth
developing.” When was the last time you gave your mentees positive feedback? What did you say?
6.
Cynthia asked Rafa- pushed him, in fact- to give
her some feedback about what she could do better as a mentor. Rafa was reluctant to say anything that might
negatively impact their relationship.
Have you asked your mentees to give you feedback? What more can you do or say to encourage your
mentees to give you honest feedback?
1. I struggle with the formal setting of dates and times, however, when I do that it seems to work better. I am busy, my mentee is busy, life moves quickly. Because of this I think set meetings and times is important. As I read this chapter I think I will begin to use some of these concepts with my para's. I need to set regular meetings and collaboration times with them to discuss policies, classroom management, and other issues. I think doing this with my mentee on a regular basis is good. It is easy for a good intention of a meeting or communication to get passed by.
ReplyDelete3. I love reading, so I do it a lot. I have to be careful, because like Rafa not everyone likes to read. I have suggested books to colleagues before that I have enjoyed, but I have not suggested any to my mentees. I do like to share resources, I know this helps me, so anything I find useful I try to share.
5. I try to give my mentee positive feedback about every other time we meet. I don't want to give it so much that it is expected or becomes ungenuine. I think people in general want to do their best, and it feels great to be told you are doing well or are appreciated. Being a special education teacher can be quite draining and overwhelming. We need to help keep our mentees motivated and feeling good about the differences they are making in their students' lives. When giving positive feedback, it needs to be specific as well. Point out things that she is doing well and tell her! The last positive feedback I gave was telling my mentee that she did a good job facilitating her last IEP meeting.
ReplyDelete2. Cynthia could have clarified in her email to Rafa that they would discuss the check-in, that they had agreed to a couple of months ago in their second meeting, and she could have discussed the process a bit more. She could have stated that the check-in included how things are working for both of them and if any changes need to be made.
1. The sixth mentoring meeting focused on checking in on the relationship. What are the advantages of having a regular check-in? Is that something you and your mentoring partner do periodically? If not, what gets in the way?
ReplyDeleteYes I am always checking in with my mentees. I check in through email or text. I feel this is important to building a relationship and open communication. It also reminds them that they do have someone that they are able to ask questions to or just vent if need be. For example I texted my mentees the other day to see if they was doing okay or needed anything. Both replied back everything was good. Then a hour later I got a email from my mentee asking some questions about a student. I feel like this jogged her brain to remember oh yeah I have a mentor who may have some feedback for me. I don't want to be overbearing but I also want them to know that I am here for their needs and concerns.
2. When told there was going to be a check-in, Rafa became worried and started to second-guess himself. What could Cynthia have done to avoid having him get so worked up?
I think that sometimes when you are checking in that doesn't mean you are an administrator coming over to watch them teach and critique them. I feel that Cynthia could have said, No worries, I will be over today to make sure everything is going good with you, I am not observing you teaching as that is not what I am here for but just making sure any questions you may have are answered to the best of my ability. Also by letting the mentee know ahead of time, the mentee is able to think about questions or concerns they may have, because we all know time for teachers is precious. I feel like my mentees understand that when I pop in I am not looking for how they are teaching just popping in to see how things are going in general. I feel they should not feel intimidated by you coming into their classroom. I personally liked when my mentee observed me teaching in order to see me in action. :)
3. During the course of the meeting, Rafa and Cynthia discussed several books. What kinds of resources could you use (or have your used) to deepen the learning for your mentees?
ReplyDeleteI have discussed the AEPS books with my mentee to help her understand our evaluation process and how to use it as a monitoring tool. I have also discussed the Green Notebook which was put together for Early Childhood to be a resource on what is expected and the form to complete the job. I also suggested the Pathways to Play book to my mentee.
5. Cynthia tells Rafa, “I believe in you. You have a lot of talent worth developing.” When was the last time you gave your mentees positive feedback? What did you say?
I do tell my mentee that she is doing a good job. Or sometimes I validate her by saying that is what I would do. The last time I gave her positive feedback was Wednesday, November 11. My mentee is very good at asking if something is done right and would it be better is something was changed.
1. The sixth mentoring meeting focused on checking in on the relationship. What are the advantages of having a regular check-in? Is that something you and your mentoring partner do periodically? If not, what gets in the way?
ReplyDeleteI feel that regularly checking in with your mentee is very important. I am mentoring two teachers this year. One is experienced and the other is new to teaching, but it is just as important that I check in with both on a regular basis. Being new to a building comes with challenges in itself whether you have experience or not. Sometimes there are conflicts that get in the way of checking in but we always make sure to reschedule. It is important to stay in contact and to check in regularly.
Cynthia asked Rafa- pushed him, in fact- to give her some feedback about what she could do better as a mentor. Rafa was reluctant to say anything that might negatively impact their relationship. Have you asked your mentees to give you feedback? What more can you do or say to encourage your mentees to give you honest feedback?
At the beginning of my relationship with both of my mentees I did ask them to give me feedback about how they felt the first few weeks had gone and how I could best help them. I found that when I heard from them how I could better help them our relationships improved. As our relationships have progressed I try to check in on how they are feeling about things and if I am still helping them in the best way possible. I feel that it is important to continue to ask for feedback from my mentees and to reflect with them as well as to do some self reflection for how I can improve as a mentor.
Advantages of having a regular check-in? Is it something you and your mentee do?
ReplyDeleteYes we do. In the beginning we had scheduled meetings once a week to make sure we were covering all the information on the checklist and to help her get through her first IEP meeting and student time changes. As time went on we were going about every two weeks and now once a month. Though, that being said, we have many informal meetings in-between, I will stop by her room and check on how things are going or she will come to my room to ask questions, vent, or share a funny story. We also have quick phone calls. I felt part of reasoning for scheduled meetings was for me, the beginning of school is so busy for all of us and I was afraid I would not get her all the information she needed to be successful. I needed the scheduled time so I would not forget and I wanted her to feel supported.
When was the last time you gave your mentee positive feedback? And what did you say? I have notice, with my para's, that sometimes I get busy and running from one thing to the next that I get slack on giving positive feedback so I have tried to make a conscious effort to give my mentee positive feedback. The last time I gave her feedback I had made the time to go down to her room and have her show me the new task boxes she had made for a student. She did a wonderful job, and it even gave me some new ideas, I made a point in letting her know how impressed I was. I also acknowledged knowing how much of her time it takes to make the task boxes. Up to this point I have not asked her to provide me feedback in how I am doing, so the next time we meet I will plan on doing so.
1. I try and touch base with my Mentee on a weekly basis but sometimes the week slips by and I haven’t seen or talked to her even once. To remedy this I have put a note on my calendar every other week reminding me to make sure and check-in with her to make sure things are going OK and if nothing else to let her know I am thinking of her and to say hello.
ReplyDelete4. I don’t see anything wrong with challenging your Mentee. How you go about it is different between each person due to personalities. I could be very bold and blunt with mine as that is the type of personalities that both of us are. We are black and white people who just want people to be up front with us and don’t ride a fence or beat around the bush. We might not like what the other one has to say but we at least know we are being honest about things.
5. Cynthia tells Rafa, “I believe in you. You have a lot of talent worth developing.” When was the last time you gave your mentees positive feedback? What did you say?
ReplyDeleteI try hard to give my mentee positive feedback as much as I can. I remember when I first started teaching special education. I did not have a mentor. There were two other sped teachers in my building and neither of them had any experience. I cried a lot that year. I thing positive feedback is crucial to help our mentees continue to develop. If they think they are doing it all wrong all they time, the likelihood that they will continue is low. I try to give my mentee positive feedback at least every other week. I let her know that I think she is doing a good job. I also praise her in how she is dealing with her behavior kids.
6. Cynthia asked Rafa- pushed him, in fact- to give her some feedback about what she could do better as a mentor. Rafa was reluctant to say anything that might negatively impact their relationship. Have you asked your mentees to give you feedback? What more can you do or say to encourage your mentees to give you honest feedback?
I have not asked my mentee for feedback. I think this is a wonderful idea. I think I will send her an email and ask her some pointed questions so I can better help her. I think starting that with I want to get better at mentoring will help the mentee be more honest with this. It is hard to give feedback to someone that is there to help you. I am going to do this.
5. Cynthia tells Rafa, “I believe in you. You have a lot of talent worth developing.” When was the last time you gave your mentees positive feedback? What did you say?
ReplyDeleteI try to give my mentee positive feedback on a regular basis. I think she needs to know that she is doing a good job and that while she may not know all the tricks of the trade, she is doing well and should be proud of the work she has done.
6. Cynthia asked Rafa- pushed him, in fact- to give her some feedback about what she could do better as a mentor. Rafa was reluctant to say anything that might negatively impact their relationship. Have you asked your mentees to give you feedback? What more can you do or say to encourage your mentees to give you honest feedback?
I ask my mentee every time we meet if there is something different I need to do or if I need to help more or less. We have developed a good relationship so far and I feel she has been honest with me on what her needs are.