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What are one or two questions you would like to pose to a Mentor Educator?

What made you want to be an educator?

How has it changed you life for the better?

What did you notice about their ADVICE?

Make daily observations - see if your students are mastering or struggling with the days topic.  Small groups are the best way to see how your students are doing with a topic.

What are the strategies that you heard most often?

Make daily observations - see if your students are mastering or struggling with the days topic.  Small groups are the best way to see how your students are doing with a topic.

What will be the lessons that you will add to your toolbox from listening to these Mentors?

Relationships- students, parents and staff.  Invest the time it should help cut down the numbers of behavior problems in your classroom and they usually work better in school too.

What are 5 books you are drawn to?

“The Morning Meeting”  great way to connect with your students and start the day.  “Despite the best Intentions”

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What did you notice about their Advice?

Piece by Piece first year can be very overwhelming.  What little thing can make a big difference.Build your confidence in layers a little bit each year.

What are the strategies that you heard most often?

Be a part of your team. Better to work together than alone.

What will be the lessons that you will add to your toolbox from listening to these mentors?

Know and care about your kid’s in your classroom.  Build relationships.  Know what the kid’s combination.  What make your students in class you they are, what helps them work better.

What are 5 of the suggested books/podcasts are you drawn to? Why?

Culture Code and Small Bets both books

What are one or two questions you would like to pose to a Mentor Educator?

What part of your educational journey have you enjoyed the most?

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What did you notice about their advice.

Work together with your team.

What are the strategies that you heard most often?

Small groups, Assessment is a tool for knowing what your students know and what they are ready to learn next.  Helps guide the teacher instruction.

What will be the lessons that you will add to your toolbox from listening to these mentors?

Tool kit in the students desk for Math manipulatives. Great for hands on learning for younger students.

Which Mentor did you connect with? Explain Why?

Marsha, She said to make sure you are friends with the secretary and janitor.  That’s funny because that is what my mom has always told me.  Her secretary use to be a hair stylist and now she does it on the side. I have never been to a shop to get a haircut.  My mom’s secretary has always cut my hair.

What surprised you about any of the Mentors?

How many did not start in Education, but now are so happy they did.  Even in this tough time of education, They were all happy to have rewarding job that makes a difference everyday, and in some many lives.

Books/Podcast   Sharon Draper “Out of my Mind”  and of course  Read Aloud everyday

What are one or two questions you would like to pose to a Mentor Educator?

How did you figure out your wonderful color system for everything?

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What did you notice about their ADVICE?

Don’t walk alone - your first year of teaching. More powerful together. Collaborate with your grade level team.

What are the strategies that you heard most often?

Collaborate! With your grade level team, and students in small groups.  Data to drive instruction.  Observe your kids - not only in the various subjects taught during the day but also socially, emotionally, and physically.

What will be the lessons that you will add to your toolbox from listening to these mentors?

Don’t walk alone - Collaborate with your grade level team.  Work better together and more powerful together.  Small groups are very important in guiding instruction and getting to know your students strengths and weakness in the various areas of elementary school.

The wrinkle hearts.  I love that lesson I did that when I was in fourth grade and I still remember it.  I like that she

Which Mentor did you connect with? Explain why

I did connect with Christy.  I too had my dad, grandma, cousin and my brother next year attend K-State.  My mom went to Washburn but has been an elementary teacher for 27 years.  I have had part time office jobs and hated going to work.  I have worked at the before and after school daycare at two different elementary schools during high school and college and loved going to work.

What are 5 of the suggested books/ podcasts are you drawn to? Why?

I loved the fact that Christy said she looks at Twitter and Pinterest for inspiration and ideas.  I do that now.  I also liked her Core books about behavior.  “How do you hug porcupines”.

Have you always taught the same grade for your 21 years?

If not what other grades have you taught, and which grade has been your favorite to teach.

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What did you notice about their ADVICE?

Relationships with your students are very important. Good relationships with your students and parents will help with everything through the school year.

What are the strategies that you heard most often?

Exit tickets - can be sticky notes, dry erase boards, an answer on the way to lunch or recess.  A quick check to see who got it today and who did not.

What will be the lessons that you will add to your toolbox from listening to these mentors?

Exit tickets help to guide tomorrow’s lessons.  * The Layover Activities - Read a Book, Practice spelling words, Add a sticky note to the Wondering Board and practice Math facts were some of the things I really like on the Layover Activities.  I also like the pictures of what supplies the students would need at their desk to complete the assignment.

Which Mentor did you connect with? Explain why?

I connected with Rosberry really well.  I liked her ideas on assessments.  Assessment does not have to be a formal assessment.  It needs to be quick and often to show where and how lessons need to be taught.  I connected with her on building relationships with your students.  I liked the way her room was organized, the Layover activities and the race cars for Multiplication facts. I also connected with her reasons on why she is a teacher.  The smiles, the kids that write you notes and the kids who are now excited to come to school.

What are one or two questions you would like to pose to a Mentor Educator?

What made you change to flexible seating?

Did you have to ask your principal if you could do flexible seating?  Did covid change anything for you about flexible seating?

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What did you notice about their ADVICE?

Same words as Tabatha, “Work smarter not harder”  Understand your tests you give  and the scores they give you.  Who and why are they “At-Risk” and who and how is this group proficient in that subject.

What are the strategies that you heard most often?

Teach to the test. Know the end game when it comes to assessment. Know the end game will help you prepare your lessons to teach the students what they need to know to do well on a test.

What will be the lessons that you add to your toolbox from listening to mentors?

Teach to the Test.  Look at the assessment for the end of the unit or chapter to help me develop my lessons to teach my students what they need to know from that unit or chapter.

What surprised you about any of the Mentors?

Spencer Brown became a teacher because he wanted to be a high school football coach.

What are 5 of the suggested books/podcasts are you drawn to? Why?

Teacher Clarity Playbook – it includes helpful lessons plans and assessments.

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What did you notice about their ADVICE?

Work smarter not harder.  Make routines inside of routines so that students can work independently, this will allow you time to assess, or work with small groups.

What are the strategies that you heard most often?

Make assessment work for you. Like using a new shape each month to mark a child's achievement.  Folders with the assessment already in them ready to use when needed and have them be handy to get too.

What will be the lessons that you add to your toolbox from listening to mentors?

The shapes each month to mark when a student has achieved the goal also to have assessment forms ready and handy.

What surprised you about any of the Mentors?

It was cool that Tabatha was a National Teacher of the Year.  It just seems like they are never from Kansas.

What are one or two questions you would like to pose to a Mentor Educator?

Some days are better than others to have assessments