HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE MENTOR

EUNICE C. GALANG

As Master Teacher one of our duty is to have a classroom observation to make it sure that we can help our younger co- teachers. Admittedly, we can help them through giving additional strategies acquired from our years of experience but truth is we also learn new strategies from them. We also share approaches on how to handle diversity of learners.

At times Master Teachers are called mentors. Mentors to mentor the mentors. Helping and guiding them to love their craft and go extra mile.

Here are some pointers to be an effective mentor.

1. Be able to communicate what you know. Let what you communicate be on a level that the mentee can understand.

2. Be prepared. Know your mentee what topic she / he will discuss. 3. Evaluate a mentee’s progress constantly.

4. Be honest and gracious, candid and straightforward. Give constructive feedback. Say what the mentee needs to hear from you, not what he or she wants to hear from you. No matter what you do, always allow the mentee to make his/ her own decision.

5. Be a lifelong learner. Continue learning about what is going on in your field. Keep an eye on trends and culture. If your mentee asks questions for which you do not know the answer, make that an object of team research.

6. Be transparent and fair. You do not owe your mentees any favor, and they do not owe you anything except gratitude.

7. Show compassion and genuineness. Convey your interest and desire to provide one-on-one help and guidance. Be selfless about sharing what you know. Model positive behavior and successful performance and offer guidance and advice toward reaching a specific goal.

8. Motivate and inspire. Support, validate and encourage your mentee. The mentee becomes more engaged in his or her work and development.

9. Set professional boundaries. Mentors should stick to mentoring. Boundaries should be set in order to avoid dependency upon one another for emotional support. — oOo—

The author is Master Teacher I at Pampanga High School