Sharing Professional Wisdom
Our new teachers are considering foundational questions as they enter the profession:
- Who am I as an educator and as a mentor?
- What do I believe is truly important about teaching and learning?
- How am I living these beliefs in my classroom, school, district and beyond?
Teaching and learning are complex and when you are new to your role there are a lot of firsts. The first time a student challenges you as a teacher. The first time a parent calls the school with a concern. The first time you write report cards. As a mentor you face all of these same challenges but you have a lot fewer firsts. For all of us in education, experience has been a teacher. Through your lived experiences in classrooms and schools you have developed professional wisdom. Your professional wisdom can provide a starting point for newer colleagues to consider as they reflect on their practice and begin to form their professional identity. Professional wisdom is a gift you have to offer and also a gift you continue to receive. Being intellectually humble allows us to listen with uncertainty and to be open to continued learning and growth from our new and experienced colleagues (and our students). Placing students at the centre of our shared thinking and learning grounds our mentoring conversations in why we are all here. It reminds us at that any age, stage or phase of our career we continue to learn. That is the beauty of mentorship...it is an act of learning.
Resources