Passionate-Teacher

I have been teaching for 20 year and have only ever had two appraisals and one mentor (when I started at a new school). Recently I have been thinking a lot about these two words. While my views may not reflect may others in education, I believe they are pivotal to the continued success of more experienced teachers.

Let me begin.

Luckily, I am a passionate teacher who gets up each and every day with enthusiasm to start my day with my primary aged students! Don’t get me wrong, some days are particularly tough and can be so challenging I have almost broken. These moments in time have made me the teacher I am today and, as I teach my students, they have been learning opportunities for growth. However, the more experience I gained, oddly the more doubts I had about my abilities as an educator. Why? I no longer received feedback about what I was doing well and what I could be doing better.

Being left to decipher this for myself because I am experienced, has inadvertently left me doubting. Now for some, once self-doubt begins to settle in, this can activate a cycle of negativity and low self-efficacy that can be hard to pull out of. Psychologist Albert Bandura believed that one’s self-efficacy can play a major role in how one approaches goals, tasks and challenges. If our beliefs in our ability to accomplishing task are mistrusted then this lowers the chance we can achieve them with any form of success.

Edward Osbourne Wilson, the biologist, once said, “We’re drowning in information while starving for knowledge.” The problem is the information in our heads is not always accurate and knowledge is hard to come by when educators no longer have the opportunities for review. So why do some schools only offer three or six month appraisals and nothing after? Why are mentors only allocated to new staff?

Surely appraisals give us critical feedback on our performance and offer an opportunity to set future goals so we can continue to improve as educators. Appraisals can highlight our value and thereby helping to stop the cycle of negativity. You build a sense of appreciation!  I understand I might be in the minority is seeking an appraisal but I have come to realise that without it, I am becoming complacent because I no longer set goals for myself. I genuinely want to improve yet I need guidance in looking forward. Doesn’t everyone?

I acknowledge that the word appraisal can cause some to feel nauseous and worried. It can also be challenging for management to find the time to meet with each employee. Nonetheless, the bottom line is about growth and development and I strongly feel that it is something worth fighting for. Won’t it make us all better educators?

AITSL tweeted an article recently with the caption “Mentors play a role in support of early career teacher’s wellbeing.” This made me think about what wellbeing supports are in place for experienced teachers. Should they not also have opportunities to have a mentor to support their wellbeing as well?

A mentor is defined as an experienced or trusted adviser. Now while I acknowledge they are usually matched with younger colleagues but what if we look at mentors from a different perspective. What if being a mentor is about sharing practice or knowledge? What if instead of it being based around younger inexperienced teachers but is more about those wanting to learn more. For example, could schools not offer a STEM or Writing mentor?

In the field of education, we desperately want to share practice but unfortunately, we are always so pushed for time and it is rarely differentiated. Could offering mentorships be a possible solution? Perhaps this is a way for staff to develop areas they feel are lacking. On the flip side, feelings of being valued and appreciated could transpire for the mentor.

So, where to from here?

I once came across a quote about an arrow that said: “An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backwards. When life if dragging you back with difficulties, it means it’s going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming.” And this is what I will do. No matter how many self-doubts I may have, I must continue to look forward. I will seek to rebalance my calling to teaching through appraisals and mentorships. I know that I am valued, appreciated and have a lot to offer but it is always assumed that I know these things. Sometimes you need to hear them too… even someone like me with 20 years of experience!