For many professionals, such as those involved in education and academics, mentoring is an important resource, particularly because it helps encourage new learning and improve on established ones. Mentoring is a highly valued practice and it is a recognized method used by many educators for sharing information and knowledge. It is also a way for more senior members of the academe to train beginners, allowing protégés to be sponsored both professionally and organizationally.
The purpose of teacher mentoring Teacher mentoring involves the pairing of a beginning teacher with a teacher who has more experience. Sometimes, the pairing can involve one or more new teachers or a group of more experienced teachers, depending on the perceived need of the beginning teacher/s and the goals of the organization. The purpose of teacher mentoring is not only to build a mentor-protégé relationship between two or more individuals but also to provide support for the new teacher. This will help establish the teacher’s confidence, allow them to settle into the organization immediately and maximize their effectiveness as instructors. Mentoring can also help establish an educational system’s quality standard, allowing a school to ensure compliance with prevailing benchmarks. It is also helpful in the recruitment and retention of new staff. As a process, teacher mentoring may be used formally, such as when a school wishes to implement particular programs or informally, where no programs are in place. Either way, it can benefit a system if the program is implemented correctly.
Whichever way mentoring is implemented, school heads should also understand that another important purpose of mentoring is to invest in a more effective manning for the institution. Should one teacher require a leave of absence, or if the teaching force, for one reason or another, lacked, mentored teachers can take the roles of those who would not be present at a certain period. One task should be done by any teacher to continue smooth processed within the school system.
By: Jessy Rae R. De Jesus | Teacher III | Sta. Rosa Elementary School | Pilar, Bataan
