It is surprising but very true, that sometimes there will be student teachers that think they have outgrown their mentors. Their actions can then lead them to the end of their short teaching career.
That's not to say that the mentor will not learn themselves in the process. A good mentor will welcome fresh new ideas, and will probably use these ideas for themselves. The problem comes when the student teacher oversteps the mark and the mentor becomes insulted.
I am also not going to devalue educational theory. However, there is no substitute for actual classroom experience and it is the job of the mentor to guide the student teacher to teach in the real world.
Each school that you teach has a different ethos and their own set of behaviour policies. But the thing that a teacher will find, if they go from school to school, is that it is the students that are very different. Therefore, what may work in one school, will not necessarily work in another.
The key is to be adaptable. You have to learn from the mentor at the specific school that you are teaching. Again, there's good books on the topic, but this will only help so much.
I'll focus on the topic of classroom management, because that seems to be the key to good lessons. That depends on where you teach. The students of an inner city school in England will be streetwise. Therefore, going in on the first day and being confrontational with the learners, may not be the best strategy.
The students want to do well, but in this case, the learners will only respond to teachers that they trust. They have to have the confidence that you are there to help them improve their lives. Once they can see that, the job becomes easier.
A school in another part of the world, e.g. United Arab Emirates may require a completely different approach. The culture is more conservative. It may be that you need to focus on behaviour first and then you will be able to teach successfully. Even if you have had experience of teaching in a tough inner city school in England, you may need to adapt and therefore learn off someone.
Whatever your background experience and whatever books you have read, may only help so far. You may need a mentor or learning coach. For that to be successful, you need to give them respect.
At some point the student teacher needs to go into the battlefield on their own. There is no time for a 'fake’ performance here. Just because that teacher has had an outstanding lesson observation, it does not mean that they are going to be ok in the classroom with a tougher group. Again, this may need the help of a coach and mentor to help you make the transition.
I do personally remember the most mild mannered teacher that I ever worked with. The student teacher that he was mentoring was rude, obnoxious and thought he knew everything. The mild mannered mentor told him where to go (I've promised not to use bad language). It wasn't a pleasant ending.
Even if the student teacher does believe that they are better than their mentor here is some advice.
- Be quiet about it
- Go home and reflect on your own teaching
- Remember your mentor has been teaching for longer and has had experience of the students of the specific school
- Remember that all teachers have their own style anyway.
That is not to say that there is not such a thing as a bad mentor. That’s another story. A good mentor will try to give confidence to the teacher who has a different style from them, rather than trying to make a carbon copy of them.
Just remember not to fall into this trap.
Everyone is learning, even teachers with experience.
All pictures are taken be me in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates over the past two months. Lenovo K5 Plus smartphone.