20 – Mentoring
As a first year teacher, I was assigned a mentor. Turns out he was not the best one for me. However…there were other teachers in my building who took that place. I would not be doing what I am doing today without the mentoring by some key people. I want to publicly thank: Carolyn Henke, Lou Ireton, and Earl Sykes. These people took a chance on me as a young teacher. They gave me guidance and offered feedback. They built me up. I moved to a different state and as a result my mentors changed: Craig Jaggard, Will Stoskopf, John McCfall, Sue Mehl, and Dr. Gwen Poss become those molded me. Sue and Will will forever hold a special place for me. When I moved back to Oklahoma new mentors stepped in: Kevin McDonald, Dr. Debbie Bendick, Justin Coffelt, Kristina Stevenson, and Martha Wissler. Now working on my PhD at Oklahoma State and my committee has become my mentors: Dr. Susan Stansberry, Dr. Penny Thompson, Dr. Tutaleni Asino, and Dr. Juliana Utley. All of these people are amazing and I cannot thank them enough. I would not be doing what I am doing today without the influence they provided in my life. It is quite possible that some of these people never realized how they were impacting me. There are also countless others who have been sounding boards, made helpful suggestions, pushed me to improve, and otherwise molded me into the educator that I have become. THANK YOU!
Find a mentor. If you are assigned a mentor your first year of teaching work with them. If that person is not meeting your needs, find a teacher who can. Use the wisdom around you to improve your craft.
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