Context
Building on the informative supports offered by mentoring webs for new and experienced classroom teachers and principals, Mentor training, release time, and opportunities for focused learning conversations have been enthusiastically welcomed by Early Childhood Educators, Finance, Human Resource and Operations professionals, as well as Program Leaders, Superintendents, and Principals.
The quote from an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) illustrates how a true culture of learning with and from each other, regardless of role, has been tangible at each of our Mentoring for All sessions, regardless of professional role.
“We are all focused on what is … best for children. It was powerful to share with a colleague who had a totally different perspective! Our board will only get better with this Mentoring for All over time.”
(ECE participant, April 2016).
Our our conversations, large and small continue and as a Board, we are committed to deepening and extending our exploration of models of mentoring in the coming years. We are ensuring that all new and experienced employees have opportunities to build the relational trust and develop “real world,” job embedded networks for professional learning conversations.
Mentoring AQ - Building Mentoring Webs through Faculty / Field Partnerships
In addition to the Mentoring for All work supported by the Ontario Ministry of Education, we have been building Mentoring Webs through Faculty and Field partnerships. We have such partnerships with Laurier University’s Faculty of Education’s four local partner Boards, : Waterloo DSB, Waterloo Catholic DSB, Wellington Catholic DSB, and the Upper Grand DSB. This group of boards and faculty have joined together to offer an Additional Qualification course to experienced educators.
This course, approved and recognized by the Ontario College of teachers and leading to designation on the Ontario Teachers’ Record Card, allows participants to explore models of mentoring and their own mentoring practice intentionally and deeply.
Impact / Next Steps
Focused in-class learning, augmented by “in-the-field” mentoring, allows for exploration of learning focused conversations, deep listening, culturally responsive mentoring, as well as personally relevant “Mentoring Inquiry” projects, and leads to a truly meaningful 125 hours of learning and dialogue about the power of mentoring to our shared professional journeys.
Participants report that the mentoring course was one of the most meaningful educational experiences ever attended. While the course continues into a second year, across our four DSB’s, we are building an extended “Mentoring Web” of passionate and deeply committed mentors!