My Mentor Teacher

Find a mentor

I never want to stop reflecting, growing and learning in my teaching practice. I will seek out a teaching mentor who is farther along in their experience, and who will be able to provide guidance and support as I grow as a teacher. A mentor teacher is someone who has walked in my shoes and can draw on their own experiences to give direction. Mentors are able to see our blind spots and can provide insight into areas that need improvement. Having a trusted mentor who will identify my weaknesses and give constructive feedback will help me address my weaknesses at a quicker pace. Mentors have a wealth of knowledge and experience that will assist me in making significant strides toward being a successful and inspiring teacher. Additionally,

Unfortunately we live in a time where many children experience instability at home. I don’t want to run my classroom where loopholes can be found in how I manage and facilitate the class. I feel it is important for me to provide a consistent learning environment. The level of organization in how I schedule our daily agenda, our classroom set up, learning materials, rules, procedures and behavior management will determine the consistency of our classroom. Students feel more comfortable, relaxed and ready to learn when they enter an environment that provides some predictability and the knowledge of expectations. Flexibility is an important skill to learn, but requiring students to function under their teacher’s flaw of inconsistency is a lot different than just asking them to be flexible during unpredicted moments. In addition to establishing a well-structured classroom environment, being consistent during behavior management is imperative. When teachers are not consistent in managing behavior, they will be tested more often, negative behaviors will be repeated, and ultimately the students do not trust the teacher to follow through on their word. I want to maintain consistency in every area in order to be a effective teacher and have a successful

Connecting with parents and allowing them to be a part of what is taking place in the classroom enhances the teamwork mentality. It helps teachers to tailor learning to children’s individual needs and aids in helping parents partner with what is happening in the classroom. Social media is a huge part of our society. One way that I will communicate the happenings of our classroom will be through a classroom Facebook page. This page will be a safe and secure site for families to follow. It will include photographs and updates of our daily learning activities. Students will be involved in the social media page by having opportunities to be the Facebook “poster of the day”. The Social Media Helper will be in charge of taking photos of the things our class is learning throughout the day. Then, they can choose up to four photos to post on our class Facebook page and they will include a comment that describes what we were learning or doing. In addition to the Facebook page, I will also send out a weekly newsletter to parents that communicates what we learned during the week, upcoming dates for special events, classroom birthdays, homework reminders, and more. Finally, I will communicate an open invitation for parents to be a part of our classroom by volunteering on field trips, special days, or even on a day-to-day basis