Tolentino, Jercyl C.

IV-A BSE Eng November 22, 2010

A Teacher – A Mentor

Last semester, I had my Practice Teaching 1 in Pitogo High School. At first, I was very

nervous because I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen for two months being mentored

by a male teacher. After three days of observation, I became at ease and comfortable talking with

him. Every after class, we discussed something about my observation. When I started the actual

teaching, I found out that I didn’t have only one mentor. I have two – my critic teacher and the

department head of the English department. The role of my critic teacher was to observe my

teaching strategies and classroom management every day and to discuss what were the things to

improve. On the other hand, the department head always kept an eye on us. He observed the

student teachers every week and did the same, discussed the things needed to improve. They

were very dedicated to teach the things that the student teachers must learn. They didn’t just help

me and my fellow student teachers to enhance our professional qualities but also the personal

qualities. When the time of our final teaching demonstration was approaching, I saw how they

allotted their precious time and effort to have our dry run. Even though they had other things to

do, especially the department head, we went to the reading center to polish our lesson plans until

7 in the evening. All in all, they molded us to become better student teachers.

I remembered what Mr. Pasion (Department Head of English) said to us in our first day

of practice teaching, he said that, “Hindi kayo lalabas ng Pitogo High School ng hindi kayo

natatalupan.” I felt a sudden chill in my bones and thought that this semester would be a bloody

one. And I guess it was but then at the same time very fruitful.
 In almost two months of staying in that school, I can proudly say that their mentoring of

student teachers is at its best, from the subject coordinator down to every critic teachers. The

knowledge they had shared with us made us what we are now.

As a future teacher, when my time comes to handle student teachers, I want to be a good

mentor. I think I might adapt what mentoring strategies I have learned in my Practice Teaching. I

will not think that my mentee doesn’t know anything at all. Mentoring is also like teaching-

learning process. The mentee can learn from the mentor and the mentor can learn from the

mentee. I’m very much willing to help my student teacher to improve his/her own methods.

Mentors must resist the desire to create another one like themselves, remembering that friends

accept their friends the way they are.

As said by John Crosby, “Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen and a push in the

right direction.” Mentoring is not that easy. The mentor should be ready any problems they

would encounter together with his/her student teacher. Mentoring could cause significant stress

or loss in other areas should be weighed carefully before making a commitment. It takes time to

be a good mentor and one key is that one must know how to listen with others. Listening to your

mentee can improve the qualities you’ve both shared. And another key is that a mentor should

not be the one who pulls the mentee down in times of pressures. He should be the torch that

enlightens up the mind in order to get out of the darkness. The mentor guides the student teacher

to choose the right path.

And I think, the most important part in mentoring process is that believing in each other’s

skills and abilities. With this, mentoring would be a one of a kind partnership.