Being a mentor is both an honored privilege and an awesome responsibility. Your role as a mentor is not to develop a “mini-me.” Rather, it is to help the paraeducator you support to become better each day at supporting their students. In other words, your role is to help them achieve their goals and aspirations in the classroom.
A paraeducator mentor plays a crucial role in supporting new paraeducators by providing guidance, training, and encouragement, helping them navigate their roles effectively, build confidence, and ultimately contribute to better student outcomes by fostering a positive learning environment within the classroom and school community; essentially acting as a guiding force to ensure new paraeducators feel valued and equipped to succeed in their position.
Introducing new paraeducators to school procedures, classroom routines, and student needs.
Demonstrating effective strategies for supporting students with diverse learning needs, including behavior management techniques.
Sharing information about relevant educational tools, curriculum, and specialized interventions.
Facilitating positive connections between new paraeducators, teachers, and other staff members.
Offering support and guidance when new paraeducators face difficulties with students or classroom situations.
Encouraging ongoing learning and participation in training opportunities to enhance skills.
Mentors can help new paraeducators to feel valued and part of a team. They help by modeling an attitude of professionalism, constant learning, creativity, and flexibility. They support new paraeducators by helping them become familiar with other school staff and the location of supplies.
To be an effective mentor requires specific skill sets and dispositions. In Unit 2, we will examine what mentoring is – and what it is not – as well as explore these skills and dispositions.
Outcomes for Foundational Principles of Mentoring Unit:
- define what mentoring is – and what it is not;
- discuss basic dispositions required for both paraeducators and for mentors of paraeducators;
- explore the research on the power of expectations (the “Pygmalion Effect”) and growth mindset and their impact on supporting growth for both for paras working with students and for mentors working with paras;
- discuss the importance of a collaborative disposition and identify examples of this disposition in practice; and
- reflect on the interrelationship between these dispositions and skills necessary for effective mentoring (looking ahead to Unit 3.).