Mentoring Educators

By Lenora Billings-Harris

The wise veteran educator and administrator searches for differences and similarities among educators and then chooses to guide and learn as a mentor. The most effective mentors realize their way is not the only way as they consider time, and circumstances. Do you have a mentor? Regardless of where you are in your teaching career, are you a mentor? As educators we often realize our role with students is that of a mentor, but sometimes we forget to mentor and be mentored by colleagues in order to help with our own growth. The award-winning research team of Buttner, Lowe, and Billings-Harris (Bryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina – Greensboro)* found that one of the key reasons schools of higher education lose professors of color is due to the lack of mentoring relationships. This finding can easily be applied to K-12 public and private schools. Everyone wants to fit-in and having a mentor is one way of confirming the fit.

So what is mentoring? There are many definitions for mentoring, coaching and sponsoring as a leadership development tactic. For the sake of this conversation I am using the following definitions:

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MENTORING

A developmental sharing, caring, and helping relationship where an experienced educator (mentor) invests time with an emerging educator (mentee or protégé) in order to enhance the growth, knowledge and skills of the emerging teacher. The mentor provides guidance and enlightened advice regarding the unwritten rules of success. Mentors are usually, but not required to be, employees of the organization. Many people also have mentors within the teaching profession who are not employees within their school. The use of the term ‘experienced educator’ in this case does not imply that mentoring only happens with senior level educators and administrators. It occurs at all levels. A mentor relationship might last years, or, if it is part of a formal program, it may last six months to a year.

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COACHING

A coach is one who teaches, directs, and encourages another, usually with the focus on exploring an opportunity or alleviating a problem. Today, many professionals utilize the services of outside coaches in order to help them improve their skills through better understanding of their own strengths and areas needing development. The length of this type of relationship is usually time specific, especially if it was formed to address a problem.

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SPONSORING

Sponsors are individuals who create or support opportunities of advancement and growth for emerging educators. The emerging educator may not know she has a sponsor. These are often people who observe from a distance and open doors of opportunity just at the right time.

Diversity related mentor programs can be informal or formal. There are advantages to both. A formal process helps avoid overlooking an emerging educator’s need or interest in having a mentor. It makes it easier to administer mentoring training on a scheduled basis. It is easier to measure the results of the pairing.

And its training can address special issues such as the challenges of cross-gender and cross-ethnicity mentoring. Informal mentoring avoids the problem of mismatched pairs. It often lasts longer, but it is sometimes harder to measure the results.

There are many excellent models for mentoring programs. Try these steps to get your program off to a good start:

• Develop a process that works best for your environment
• Combine formal and informal mentoring
• Clarify expectations of mentees and mentors
• Hold leaders accountable for the results
• Measure success

If you are an emerging educator seek out one or more mentors. Remember that mentoring is an outgrowth of good relationships, so develop the relationship first. It will grow into a mentoring relationship if it is a good match. Do not ask someone you might admire but is a near stranger, “Will you be my mentor?” You may laugh, but I have been asked that exact question many times. The people asking simply did not know what real mentoring is. Be very sensitive to your mentor’s time and reputation. Do not expect them to grant you any favors or open any doors until you have proven you deserve it.

As a mentor, look for individuals different from you as well as those who may be of the same gender and ethnicity. You will be enhanced by the mentoring experience if you allow yourself to be stretched. Paying it forward can be a very rewarding experience. If you are willing to give, not just “give back” our institutions of learning and the profession of teaching will advance.

As Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see.”