Triumph Out of the Wilderness

Abstract

Beginning teachers can always tie up their students, as Ms. Kramer's father suggested. But having good mentors to new teachers the ropes works better, she says. ONE OF THE pearls of wisdom that my father imparted to me on my first day of teaching was, could always tie them He went on to dazzle me with other forgettable bits of knowledge, always with my best interests in mind. It's amazing that five years have passed since then, and the only thing took from his well-intentioned advice was that could never really use any of it in the classroom! How wished and prayed that someone would show me the ropes. was lucky that my school assigned me a mentor and that found some peers who mentored me as well. A wonderful assistant principal was my official mentor. A biology teacher and a second-grade teacher (my mother) also took time out of their busy days to give me great advice. To be honest, if it hadn't been for probably wouldn't be teaching today. There are many new teachers today who aren't as fortunate as was. They are fighting through the wilderness of the classroom alone and finding that their college or university training hasn't really prepared them for the reality of the classroom - the discipline, the paperwork, and the lack of time and social life. New teachers need effective mentors who will help them navigate these speed bumps in the career path. There is no one better than an enthusiastic, experienced colleague to help a beginner succeed in the classroom. Now in my fifth year of teaching high school Spanish, reflect on my own experience of being mentored. was fresh out of college and recently employed by a high school in my hometown of Wausau, Wisconsin. Of course, my college spent numerous hours preparing me to make use of current pedagogy, methods, and all manner of theoretical lesson plans. But it still didn't completely fortify me for the reality of the classroom. walked in on the first day with a sheaf of papers that proclaimed the correct way to teach. But had no information on how to deal with that student sporting the green hair - the one sprawled listlessly in a back-row desk. This kind of information came from my mentor and from other teachers who supported and believed in me. They offered me wonderful treasures of knowledge and tips. Let the students see the real you - the one who makes mistakes and can get over them, they told me. can't command respect, but you can earn it, they reminded me. That was a hard one to learn. You see, my natural tendency was to teach the way the majority of my teachers had taught, with a must follow lesson plan and textbook discipline. How quickly abandoned that course of action! began to let my sense of humor up in my classroom. If the students can see me as a real person, reasoned, then they will be less likely to act without regard to my feelings. shared some cartoons from The Far Side and some facts about my favorite leisure activities with the students, and could practically see their ears perking right up. Here was someone who actually left the school building on the weekend and even went to the football game on Friday! They loved it. In a relatively short time, was able to teach with less hassle from the students. Of course, there were still challenges, and the students were still ready to test limits on occasion. (How is it that they always know you're a first-year teacher?) was still living with my parents that first year, so compared experiences with my mom. She taught second grade in the same district and had been doing so for more than 15 years, so knew she would be a sympathetic ear. Yeah, right! I don't know why you want to teach high school, she often proclaimed. Don't the kids drive you nuts? Look at you! would reply vehemently. I couldn't handle 25 running, screaming, frantic second-graders. And so our verbal battles began. …