Your Mentor
Most of us have had mentors that significantly influenced our thoughts, actions and directions. Can you explain how one or two mentors have truly impacted your life? What effect has that had on your role as a career educator?
One mentor in particular for my doctorate degree showed a true interest in my success. Unfortunatly, he passed just after receiving my degree and did not get to see me walk. His passion for knowledge pushed me at times when I questioned if it was all worth it.
Dr.Rogers
Enid,
I enjoy it when the folks who take this course name a parent as their mentor. My mentor was my father.
Jeffrey Schillinger
My Mother was mine too. Always there for me when I needed support who will be a friend, role model, and a good listener. But always had me follow the rules and modeled them for me.
Pietro,
What are a few specific things you do to position yourself to be a mentor for your students?
Jeffrey Schillinger
the mentor shows up when the mentee is ready. for one my martial arts instructors. Even though in different styles they all treated me like a son and guided me through in life. of course pops. for work ethics, honesty and dependability. My chefs, etc. the list goes on.
the impact to be myself to best that i can. To draw out the truth in all that is done.
the lessons are priceless.
for my students, those lessons all come out when needed. its is nice to have a tool box to work from.
My mentors have always encouraged me to obtain my goals and be proactive about pursuing more. I started out knowing I wanted to teach and have had several of my own instructors share their experience of their journeys to education. I was taking masters classes in Education and I had one mentor who was very good at making sure I felt comfortable in the class. Many of the other students had already been teaching and I had no classroom experience as of yet. The instructor always was able to help me bring my work experience into teachable situations to compare with. More recently I have a mentor who is always encouraging me to strive for more. She helps me by sharing how she handles certain situations with students she has had and helps quide me through program changes. I hope that this has made me more Compassionate with students who come in not having any experience in learning or field work.
Andrea,
You fortunate to have this woman in your life. What are one or two specific behaviors she modeled that you have adopted for the benefit of your students?
Jeffrey Schillinger
I met my most significant career mentor during an intership in grad school. The program I attended was a mix of online and on-campus interactions so it was extremely helpful to have someone other than my instructors available for guidance. I was the only intern she had at the time, so I felt very fortunate to have so much time with her. She not only mentored me on my current classes but on so many other aspects of nursing as well, including education.
Even though she now considers us to be colleagues, I still think of her as a mentor. I know I can always call or email to get advice and opinions from her!
Candy,
Thank you for this post. She sounds like a great role model. What are one or two specific things you do that she did to position yourself to be this type of mentor?
Jeffrey Schillinger
One of my most influential mentors was my undergraduate nursing advisor. She was a great resource to utilize when I had questions with an assignment or clinical area. She was supportive and encouraged me. She always made the classroom very engaging and incorporated a variety of teaching methods to keep the material fresh and interesting. She truly made learning fun.
I have had quite a few people I consider mentors over the years, but one that sticks out the most would have to be my supervisor from my first job. I was a "newbie" to the workforce, never having any real accountability, direction, or any idea of work ethic. I was just at this job for a paycheck, I really didnt care how the work got done as long as it got done, quality of the finished product really didn't matter to me. Jerry took it opon himself to take me under his wing, instead of just giving me the boot, and helped sculpt me if you will into a professional. Some of the traits he instilled upon me were; that no matter how small your role seems to be in the company, you are the face of the the company, your fished product, your skill, your additude shows in the work that you do. The way he explained it wasit much like seeing art for what it truly is, An artist pours his heart and soul out on a canvas for whe world to see. I thought to myself this is how my work is viewed by customers. I had a small revalation, and decided I can do better, I can show the world that I can do better. A short time later customers started calling in, quite frequently, just to let the office know that we had done a magnificent job. Word spread fast, in a year and a half contracts had increased 150%, we had to split the crew and hire a few more hands. This was my chance to shape new young minds, and pass the torch.
Amy,
What are one or two secific things you do to position yourself for potential mentorship opportunities for your students?
Jeffrey Schillinger
My 1st mentor would be my boss from an accounting job I worked at for 15 years. She would listen and try to help rather than tell you what you did wrong. I became an accounting supervisor under her. My second would have to be my coworker now. I was a student in the first class she taught. She has become a friend and now a coworker in the education field. I am new and she helps me out with any problems I have. She is so knowledgeable and truly cares about her students. She is someone I look up to and hope to be like.
Jesse,
Thanks for this post. It is possible to have high standards and high expectations without being mean or inflexible.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I was a pretty strict teacher when I first started. It's because I was stressed how important it was to be fair and equal to all the students. With that, it also start to create distance between the students and myself because I was so focused on keeping everyone accountable. I then started taking classes for another program. I had an amazing teacher that really took the time to speak with and get to know her students. She was very relaxed, yet we learned. To me, this is who I wanted to be. I came back to teaching with a different philosophy. I now feel like I know how to relate to my students and it follows the model, mentor, and monitor thinking as well.
My most significant mentors were a number of my high school teachers. These women taught with passion and charisma, and clearly lived the values they attempted to give over. They also made time out of class to speak with students and encourage us to succeed.
As a school administrator, I try to make sure that curricula are designed to be relevant to students' lives, and to guide students in their self-development and self-actualization as they work towards their educational goals. This translates into personal meetings or phone calls to check on students' progress, as well as regularly checking in with their professors to see if any issues or challenges need to be addresses.
Thank you for this post, Miriam. What specific behaviors make instruction "inspirational and positive?"
Jeffrey Schillinger
Ninh,
Who were your mentors before you became a teacher?
Jeffrey Schillinger
The mentors who have made an impact on my life have always influenced me through their inspirational and positive instruction and through their lifelong acheivements.
