Free Help!

If you walked into the supermarket and saw a sign that said "Free chocolate for a year - no gimmicks", could you turn it down? Well, if you are anything like me, you would be first in line. Having a mentor is like getting free chocolate for a year, maybe even better. Let me explain:

After teaching for two years in the Boston area, I moved to Jacksonville, FL. Being new to the district, I was given a mentor. By this point in my career, I knew that accepting help didn't mean that I was a bad teacher, and boy, was I going to use all the help I could get!

Ms. VanGorder was assigned to be my mentor. I'm not sure she knew what she was getting into when she agreed to do that. I got very lucky because she was the reading coach as well as the Reading Recovery specialist at my school. In other words, she had an incredible bank of reading knowledge. Her office was located conveniently across the hall from my classroom and I spent most of my year in there picking her brain.

Looking back, I know I probably didn't need to go see Ms. VanGorder everyday. By my third year of teaching I already had enough tools in my toolbox to get by. However, she wasn't just physically supporting me, she was there for me mentally as well. She was there when I just needed to be reassured that I was doing the right thing. She was there when I needed to vent about my life outside of school so that I wouldn't bring it into my classroom. She was there to bring me chocolate when she knew I had a bad day and to bring me coffee in the morning after she saw my email to her at 1:00 AM. Basically, she was just there for me.

Ms. VanGorder passed away a few years ago. I never really got to thank her for all she did for me. Don't take your mentors for granted. Accept all of the help they have to offer and don't be afraid to ask for more. If you find yourself not working well with your mentor, ask for a new one. Your mentor should be your go-to person at all times and the best part is that they are free!

Don't ever feel guilty about asking for help either. I have had the opportunity to mentor several teachers myself. Last year I was able to mentor one of the most talented teachers I know. She was on top of everything! I loved when she came to me for help because brainstorming ideas with her often enabled me to bring new ideas back into my own classroom as well.

Teaching is a sink or swim career. You can either prepare to be gobbled up by the sharks or be floating peacefully in your bikini on the top of the waves. (And, if you have a really good mentor, maybe they can even help keep you motivated to eat healthy so that you can look good in that bikini - just sayin'. . .)