by Peermuhammad Ameerali

Created on: November 24, 2009

Senior teachers owe an obligation, not only to their students but also to their fellow teachers, particularly the junior teachers by way of mentoring. The young entrant to the teaching profession definitely needs a lot of handholding from his senior colleagues to get properly inducted into this noble profession. This is the only way to uphold the high traditions of teaching ethics and to hand over the baton of responsibility to the younger generation. Of course it is a sensitive function and a teacher, however senior or experienced he or she is, has to be extra careful to offer guidance to the other teacher, without inviting any negative feelings.

The do's of ideal mentoring :

The first and foremost thing for the senior teacher to do is to strike an early rapport with the junior teacher. He has to take the initiative of offering his hand of welcome to the junior teacher even if there is any element of hesitancy on the part of the latter in breaking the ice. The senior teacher has to allow sufficient time for the junior teacher to settle down in his new assignment before offering the mentoring session. The mentor has to correctly judge the other teacher's credentials and decide where exactly the latter needs his guidance. He should offer the correct dose of advice, neither more nor less, in academic and non-academic matters. He should openly acknowledge the mentee's strengths in various aspects. This creates a favorable atmosphere for the free exchange of ideas between the two. The senior teacher should pass on to his younger colleague the salient features of his past experience, in the areas of class organization, administration, student motivation and guidance. He should forewarn the other of the possible day-to-day problems of the classroom and offer guidance as to how best to handle them in the best interest of the students. Whenever there is a conflict between the junior teacher and the students, the senior teacher should step in and use his longer experience with, and greater influence on, the students to resolve the crisis to the satisfaction of both the parties. He must be a rock of support to the junior teacher on such occasions. He should encourage his younger colleague to constantly update his knowledge so that he is not found wanting, in times of newer challenges or greater student demands, both of which are on the increase nowadays. He should help the other person to correctly draw up a personal goal -setting which would be a great motivating

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