Being a Mentor

I was motivated to get involved in #EduMentoring, as since joining the teaching profession I have been really lucky with the Mentors that I have had in my ITT & NQT years but more recently in the RSC’s Mentoring for Early Career Chemistry Teachers programme. 

This experience helped me to realise not only the importance of mentoring to support RQT’s but how valuable this could be later in my career pathway. I am now at a point in my career based on the opportunities and support I have had that I feel I can ‘play this forward’ and hopefully have a positive impact and empower another individual.  

I have found the experience of #EduMentoring has been fantastic so far; I believe the time taken by Aaron and Abul to ensure that they make the correct mentor/mentee matches is part of the reason for this. I have been matched with a mentee with the same Science specialism as myself which will allow me to support my mentee with the wanting to secure their subject knowledge. 

 During my first virtual mentor meeting my mentee asked what I was hoping to gain from this experience, I spoke to them about my experiences of mentoring and the fact I wanted to ‘pay it forward’. I also hope to develop my mentoring and coaching skills, as I currently work with ITT’s and hope to also work with NQT’s next year.

 What I hadn’t realised was how much in the short time I have been involved in #EduMentoring, it would encourage me to reflect on my toolkit of T&L strategies to be able to offer advice on a wide range of concerns my mentee had.