What's in a Mentor?

Day 6:
Explain: What does a good mentor "do"?

Meg-
Today's prompt is so appropriate for me since I have a student teacher this year.  Similarly, I have just embarked upon a two year journey to obtain my Master of Education in Educational Administration and Leadership from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's school of Educational Leadership and Organizational Policy, so I will certainly be thinking and reading a lot about this topic. To avoid writing an entire philosophy on educational leadership, I will stick with the basics.  A good mentor certainly models best practices.  The mentor communicates thoughts that lead to decision making and welcomes questions that may arise from the mentee throughout the process.  A good mentor constantly engages in probing conversations to make the mentee think and ponder for him/herself, similarly to how a good teacher questions students to make the students think rather than simply handing over all the answers.

Reflection is the key.

Most importantly, a good mentor models reflection.  Whether this is a mentor teacher or a mentor in another field, being a reflective practitioner is what makes someone rise above the rest.  A mentor knows this and models this process so others can learn this as well.
Jamie-In my 21 years of teaching, I have taken on the role as mentor many times--officially and unofficially. I seem to possess the personality that makes me a person to whom many feel comfortable talking to and seeking advice from, which can make it very hard for me to get my own work done at school. So, I practice patience very often.  I don't really mind!  I had so many wonderful mentors when I started my teaching career. I feel it is my duty to now offer my wisdom to others.

With that said,  I think what Meg said in her response to the prompt above about being a model is a key factor.  To be a good mentor, you must lead by example.  When I think back to the teachers who were my mentors, I think I also appreciated someone who took the time to be a good listener as well.   A good mentor should listen and guide the mentee in the right direction, but also allow for their mentee to make mistakes.  After all, mistakes are the basis for true learning. Finally, I think a good mentor is a confidante and friend.   A person who helps you to see the humor in mistakes and someone who grows along with you--right?