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After taking the assessment again, I found that my score was similar to the first time. I feel like I would be a good mentor and that feeling has become stronger since taking this class. There are some things that I realized that I needed to change throughout the various activities in the course. For example, I am quick to offer suggestions instead of being an active listener. This is because I feel such a strong sense to help others. Working with a mentee will be a challenge at first because it is new, but like most things, it will get easier after implementing the skills we have learned in this course.

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As I completed the self-assessment for the second time, I realized that when I completed the self-assessment the first time, I may have been overconfident in my abilities. I may not have known what I didn't know. Therefore, my score didn't change much because I was able to understand the statements more clearly. For example, prior to this class, I thought that I was a good listener. However, I realize now that I have to make some changes in order for me to be a truly effective listener. I also recognize the importance of being a good mentor and having a good mentor. As I work with several new teachers this year, I am confident that a strong mentoring program would be very beneficial for them. I have learned a lot over the course of the last few weeks and I am eager to put that new knowledge to use..

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Retaking the pre-assessment, I did score a little higher than the first time but this is just if I feel like I would be ready to be a good mentor. Feeling and doing are two different things. One thing I DO have to devote more time with my mentee is having her reflect on how her lessons are going.  I do ask her and she says great and has no questions but I need to start using the CESA mentoring language log for our weekly meetings to help me with this. My mentee and I have been meeting twice a week but these meetings have mainly just been for planning for the upcoming week.

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Taking the assessment once again I found that on paper I seem 'good to go.' Through understanding and further developing my personal resiliency as well as further planning ahead to reach my mentee in ways that are meaningful and lasting, I hope to implement ideas and practices found through this course.

I found myself looking at how my first few years as a teacher went and wishing I could go back and ask for help. More time observed as a new teacher, more time developing curriculum and learning about building relationships with my co-teachers as well as my students and their families. Seeing how one outreach- that single nudge email- could have helped me drives me forward to help others develop in their early years!

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As I completed the self-assessment, I found myself marking the "strongly agree" section a lot more than I did at the beginning of this class. I now feel more confident in being a mentor. I also have a lot of tips and tricks to help myself manage my busy life and be more resilient. One tip that has helped me a lot is learning to better recognize my emotions. By acknowledging that I am feeling crabby, frustrated, sad, etc, I am able to focus more on the moment and how I can help myself handle the emotions that are flooding over me.

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After I read what I wrote in the pre-assessment, I see that now I need to pay more attention to detail and to better plan when I meet with my mentee. For example, I used to just meet informally with my mentee after the initial months of the year. I see that it is still important to keep a more organized log of what was discussed in each meeting. I also realize that there are many different attitudes and beliefs that come with each new teacher. They could have a totally different cultural background than I have. I need to really get to know them personally before I can help them. I also need to find out how they themselves learn so that I can differentiate the way I teach them as well.

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Taking the Mentor Readiness Self-Assessment surprised me in a way.  My score was much higher than I had anticipated.  Upon closer examination of my answers, the 5 questions that I disagreed with were mostly due to my lack of self-confidence.  If I were a little more confident in myself, I (and my former principals would probably tell me that I am very capable of doing  what the questions asked) could have marked those 5 questions as I agree.  Also, I am struggling with the idea that I am an "Old Fogy" having to be a mentor to a "Very Young" first year mentee who has all new fresh ideas.  I am confident that in taking this class, it will help me get my new teaching partner off on the right foot and we will make a great team - like my former partner of 24 years and I had been.

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As I read the explanation of my score I see that I have many areas in which to improve.  We as teachers are evaluated by our principals on a regular basis.  After one of my evaluations, the principal said to me, "No one is perfect.  There are always ways in which a teacher can improve."  As I decide on what my goals are for the school year, I keep this in mind.  I have been teaching many years, yet each year is never the same.  We have new students, teachers and sometimes administrators. This year I have many new co-workers.  This is a challenge as I try to get to know each one of them.  We have to work together as a group to meet the needs of our students.  A group with clear goals, confidence in the classroom, and support from administration can be the basis for an amazing school year that is fun and productive.  As each staff member works to find their place in this plan, a good leader can guide and encourage each of their strengths. Last year I was inspired by Jo Boaler and her work on positive growth mindset.  I know that if I can start the school year with a positive growth mindset, I can lead by example. I believe that making mistakes is the best way to learn and often tell students that their brains are growing and that struggling to solve a problem is how we help ourselves and others to learn.   Finally, as I help each new teacher with our electronic grade book, developing a classroom atmosphere and give them suggestions for classroom management, I will keep in mind that they will need support all year long and I will be available to help them.

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As I read the explanation of my score I see that I have many areas in which to improve.  We as teachers are evaluated by our principals on a regular basis.  After one of my evaluations, the principal said to me, "No one is perfect.  There are always ways in which a teacher can improve."  As I decide on what my goals are for the school year, I keep this in mind.  I have been teaching many years, yet each year is never the same.  We have new students, teachers and sometimes administrators. This year I have many new co-workers.  This is a challenge as I try to get to know each one of them.  We have to work together as a group to meet the needs of our students.  A group with clear goals, confidence in the classroom, and support from administration can be the basis for an amazing school year that is fun and productive.  As each staff member works to find their place in this plan, a good leader can guide and encourage each of their strengths. Last year I was inspired by Jo Boaler and her work on positive growth mindset.  I know that if I can start the school year with a positive growth mindset, I can lead by example. I believe that making mistakes is the best way to learn and often tell students that their brains are growing and that struggling to solve a problem is how we help ourselves and others to learn.   Finally, as I help each new teacher with our electronic grade book, developing a classroom atmosphere and give them suggestions for classroom management, I will keep in mind that they will need support all year long and I will be available to help them.

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After taking the Mentor self-assessment seeing my score of 85 makes me see on paper I’m ‘ready’ but I still wonder if I am truly prepared to be a mentor. Although I feel as if I’ve laid the ground-work in a lot of ways, I know that I tend to worry about things that are out of my control. This is important to recognize and deal with in a variety of ways. I wonder how being a mentor would look for me, as a specialist, during different times of the year. For instance, concert season (traditionally Nov-Dec and Apr-May) gets crazy. Between preparing for my performances musically, I have to set up art shows, design and create costuming, schedule and organize parent volunteers along with continuing to try and work on content development within my normal class times. I wonder how juggling the ‘unseen’ and ‘undocumented’ hours of this job would also work with showing a mentee the ropes. It can be done, I just haven’t yet been exposed to this in a professional manner. As stated before, being an island subject has its rewards but also it’s major difficulties.

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I got a 90 on the self-assessment. I am unsure of if that is a good thing or not. As I reflect on my experiences with having a mentor, I know that I do not want to mentor that way. I felt more confused and lost after meetings with my mentor. He taught me very little and would not give criticism. There is no way I was not making mistakes as a brand new teacher. Looking back on it, I think it made me a better teacher because I was able to learn by doing. At the same time, I wish I could have had someone to guide me when I needed it.

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I got an 80 on the Teacher Mentoring Teacher Readiness Self-Assessment.  As the others have indicated, I do not know if this is a positive or a negative thing.  However, I do believe that I will be a better mentor than the mentor that I had when I started at my current school.  My mentor only met with me three times throughout the year.  We did not develop a relationship or trust  because we didn't have enough one-on-one interaction.   Furthermore, there were many instances where I had to seek out answers to questions that I had. Sometimes I was flying by the seat of my pants.  I felt like I was a lost fish floating in the big blue sea.
My hope is that my experience with my mentor will make me a better mentor for someone else. I do not want another teacher to feel the way that I did. Starting a new career or an old career in a new place is intimidating and overwhelming. If I can help a person feel a little more knowledgeable and secure, I will feel like my purpose as a mentor has been fulfilled.

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I completed the Teacher Mentoring Teacher Readiness Self-Assessment and got a score of 75. To be honest, i am not sure what that number means. However, as I took the assessment, various thoughts popped into my head. For one, it made me think of my first days as being a teacher. My mentor (who is also my teaching partner) went above and beyond to make sure I had everything I needed to be successful. I hope that I can make that kind of an impact on someone else entering the field of education. Another thought that came to mind throughout the assessment was a feeling of hesitation. Right now I feel like I am swimming up to my ears in things to do on top of being a mother and wife. I am a bit nervous to see how much time will be devoted to being a mentor. However, I am confident that as long as I take everything one day at a time and not procrastinate, everything will work out. I want to make it work out because like I mentioned before, I want to make a positive impact in someone's life like my mentor did for me.