Good Mentors
There has been quite a bit of research on what makes a good mentor. In
this section, we list those characteristics that researchers have found.
(Rowley, J. B. (1999). The good mentor. Educational Leadership,
56(8), 20-22.)
For each characteristic, think of yourself as a paraeducator. How do you
rate on each one?
With that pen and paper, rate yourself from one to five, 1. I think
I need a lot of work in this area and 5. I think I do pretty well
in this area. For each rating you give yourself, make sure you can
think of an example that shows why you rated yourself this way.
1. The good mentor is committed to the role of mentoring. In other words, no one else forces the mentor to be a mentor—she wants to be, and she likes to think of herself in the role of mentoring. She may seek out opportunities to help the newer paraeducators of other staff or faculty. She understands that mentoring can be difficult, but that it is worth the time and effort. She encourages others to view her as a professional in her field, and as a result, she becomes known as a leader. It is not necessary for a mentor to have the title of mentor. Sometimes it is something that just everyone knows about her. The important aspect is that she is dedicated to helping paraeducators be the best they can be in order to help the students with whom they work.
2. The good mentor is accepting of the beginning paraeducators. Mentors help others with less knowledge or experience without judging them. They are empathic and understand and remember what it was like to not understand the job well. They are patient and let the newcomers understand that they will get better with practice.
3. The good mentor is skilled at providing instructional support. No two children are alike, and no two groups of children are alike. However, good mentors will try to understand the characteristics of the students to whom the inexperienced paraeducator has been assigned, and will try to help the inexperienced paraeducator implement effective teaching strategies. Often paraeducators who are new to the field do not have a lot of teaching experience, especially in instructional methods. Teachers of record are excellent resources to learn more about these methods, but veteran paraeducators also have good ideas and much experience, and may be very valuable sources of teaching ideas for all kinds of learners. In addition, veteran paraeducators can direct new paraeducators to particular teachers who have reputations as good explainers of teaching strategies.
4. The good mentor is effective in different interpersonal contexts. Paraeducators must be able to respectfully work with other paraeducators, teachers, staff, administrators, parents, and students. The best mentors are good at these relationships. Good mentors are professional, they obey codes of ethics, they respect confidentiality, they try to contribute to the professionalization of the field of paraeducating, and they conduct themselves with a positive disposition, honest demeanor, and easy-going personality. They themselves take constructive criticism and offer constructive criticism in a professional manner. They demonstrate qualities of good citizens by being trustworthy, by not gossiping, and by continually keeping in mind their goals of doing everything necessary to help children. All personnel involved at a school admire these kinds of people.
5. The good mentor is a model of a continuous learner. The field of education is always changing. We are always learning more and more about the way students learn and develop. To keep on top of this research, good mentors attend training sessions that are available to them. They seek additional knowledge by asking questions, reading books, doing internet searches, completing modules like this one, and showing interest in new ideas, especially those that are different from the ideas they previously used. Novice paraeducators who see experienced paraeducators always trying to learn new things can realize that the job of paraeducating involves a lot of self-initiative and love of learning to help children by using the newest techniques. Just as all teachers spend time at trainings and their own time at home reading and searching for information, paraeducators who see this as part of their job may find they are more able to understand their students’ needs.
6. The good mentor communicates hope and optimism. No jobs in education are easy ones. They may be fun, exciting, fulfilling, and interesting, but they are not easy. Good mentors are good at supporting beginning paraeducators through the rough beginning time, through the bad days, and through the down times. Good mentors also remind newer paraeducators to appreciate the good days and good times. The classroom and school personnel are always changing. Sometimes these changes are for the best, and sometimes they seem unmanageable. Experienced paraeducators who are good mentors lend their ears, a couple extra minutes in the morning, half of their candy bar, a pat on the shoulder, and some encouragement to cast a positive outlook on the dark shadows. Even while the mentor may admit that the situation is not very promising at the time, he or she will also understand and convey that the situation has the potential to change.
So how did you do? Do you think you already have the characteristics of
a good mentor, or do you have some work to do? Either way, there is good
news! You have a lot of potential! Think back to the reasons
mentoring is important, especially the one you thought of yourself. These
are all important reasons, and they should help you see why you benefit
from trying to become a mentor by practicing the six characteristics listed
above. Congratulations! Just by completing this module, you are practicing
being a continuous learner, and you are well on your way to developing your
mentoring skills.
In the next section, we are going to look at some questions that you can
ask yourself to foster the habit of thinking about yourself as a mentor
and professional. This section is entitled, “Reflection and Empathy
in Mentoring.”
IPSP
Module Series