Whether you are a brand new teacher or have been in the profession for fifteen years, it’s important to continue growing as an educator. Learn why you should find mentors and helpers as well as how to grow as a teacher even after your first few years of teaching.
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You know how we always tell our students to have a growth mindset? We tell them that just because they don’t know how to do something right now, doesn’t mean they will never. We encourage them that they have to keep growing and stretching their brain. But… do you tell yourself that?
Yeah… part of the problem of being a teacher is constantly telling your kids the “best practices” for doing things, but then forgetting to do them ourselves. Like all the times I told my students “don’t let what she said effect you, you know it’s not true” to only go on later in the day to feel deeply hurt or really offended by a comment someone made to me.
How to Grow as a Teacher
One of the ways I have grown most as an educator, even on a personal level, is by finding a mentor. Someone just a bit ahead of me to guide me through situations and experiences that are new to me.
I want to challenge you to find someone this summer, to be a teacher mentor to you. I know that may sound scary. One of my favorite podcasters, Susie Davis of the Dear Daughters podcast, always says that finding a mentor doesn’t have to be scary. It can be as simple as just asking someone to coffee and asking them questions.
For the sake of today’s post, we will define a teacher mentor as an experienced educator that guides another teacher. Most of us have had an experience with a teacher mentor during our first year teaching or our first year at a new campus or district.
Here are a few ways you can find and invest in teacher mentors to help you in your career:
- What are 2-3 things you’d like to improve on in your teaching career? Write those down, then spend time trying to find a mentor to help you in one of those areas.
- Reach out to teachers on your campus or in your district that can support you (Instructional Coaches or even just a teacher who has been there longer than you).
- Research “Teacherpreneurs” that specialize in an area you want to improve
- Online Teacher Influencers (just remember, you aren’t paying them for their work so they aren’t as likely to give you one on one help… and Instagram filters are not real 😉 )
- Download free resources from teacherpreneurs to get an idea if they are someone worth investing in
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Until next time,
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