In education, we make a difference daily, whether for the positive or the negative. It’s great to think that in my library I have the potential to see 1300 students in a given year and I value that. One place that I see myself making a difference on campus is my mentoring of three new teachers. I just finished all of the end of the year paperwork and it’s so exciting to see a positive impact for our students through the awesome professionalism exhibited by those three.
Even if you don’t think you have what it takes to mentor, some of what you do already can help. There are so many routines on campus that we take for granted, like codes we use for copiers or how to work the various web apps for attendance, grades, etc. If you can walk a new teacher through those routines, it eliminates confusion and frees them to teach more effectively. Letting new teachers know that they are not alone, that they have someone to go to with any questions, is so encouraging and helps retain great teachers. Your guidance will impact years worth of students.
That and you get a cool certificate.
