Mentor, Inspirations and No Desk!

Mentor, Inspirations and No Desk!

Oh no! I have fallen behind on the blog challenge.

The weekend just got away from me!

I will do a quick catch up.

Day 6: "What does a good mentor do?"

What exactly is a mentor?

 I know but I thought I would take a look at meanings to be clear.

"Mentoring is to support and encourage people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and become the person they want to be."

Eric Parsloe, The Oxford School of Coaching & Mentoring

Image from: YMCA

I love this image with the road way signs. I believe a mentor is a relationship that does offer help, support, guidance, advice and assistance. It is not telling someone how to be...but being a support for the direction that they are traveling in to be the person that they are wanting to be.

I often have said to my students that I am not just your teacher, but your mentor. I am here to help you on your journey to success not tell you the way to go.

A mentor does just that: supports the mentored on the journey to learning, life, job etc.

Day 7: Who was or is your most inspirational colleague and why?

This question really hit home with me. I am sitting here looking at my blog post and am thinking....do I really need to choose one?

I have been so fortunate in my career to have people who have inspired me at every school I have taught. I will choose two:

The first person is @ @SotoWE1  (Wendy Soto).

Wendy inspired me when I first started on my career path. In my personal life a bomb exploded and I truly had a difficult time balancing all of my emotions as well as being present in the moment.  She really extended her friendship and mentoring skills. She gave quiet moments of support, lunch dates and cheered me on. Literally. (She cheered when I confessed how hard it was to get out of bed and she cheered that I was at school and present!) 

Wendy continues to learn on a professional level constantly. She is willing to try new teaching styles and techniques. She has a passion to teach students and it is evident on a day to day basis. She also has this way about her to be professional at all times. I don't think I saw her loose her cool even when there had been moments when many other educators would have had steam coming out of their ears.  She models how to speak positively of those around her. She will not speak ill of other colleagues, parents, or students.  She honestly is the most professional educator I have met.
She inspires me even now when we no longer are in the same building. Sometimes I think:
Would Wendy have said that?

The second person is Laura Keeping.

Laura and I team taught together for only a year. Laura's passion for students is unbelievable.  She cares so much for each student who enters her classroom. She inspired me on a day to day basis as she continually found ways to incorporate technology into her lessons. She was the first person I had met who had an effective classroom website and used it daily to communicate with parents. She was ahead of her time and was building world connections with the students. It may be the buzz now but Laura was bringing the world into the classroom years ago. She motivated the students themselves to explore world issues and inspired them to be active and to do something about them.  

Laura's technological influence sparked a curiosity in me to continue to use technology daily and find new ways to use less paper.

Thank you ladies for the impact you have both had professionally and personally!

Day 8: What is in your desk drawer and what can you infer from those contents?

I don't have a desk.

 I used to have a big old wood desk in my room. It became a junk pile. I made a goal for myself two years ago to be more organized in the classroom and the desk was holding me back. I was not sitting at it anyway. I was up with the students in small groups, conferencing and observing. Why have such a large piece of furniture that is not functional in a small space to begin with? 

Away it went!

I personally love not having a desk in my room. I will not go back. It forces me to be more organized as I have to put things away as there is no where to pile them. I will not go back.

So with no drawer, no desk...what does that say about me?

I would hope it would say I am present in the moment with students.

 Have you ever thought about giving up your desk?