new teacher mentorship model

[Harrison Owen]

At 02:36 PM 7/6/00 -0700, you wrote:
>Chris,
>
>I have no doubt there are many ways to handle the matching; perhaps it is
>best left to the rhythm of each individual to sort out.  I recently
>attended a 10-day workshop in which the suggestion to choose a mentor was
>made near the beginning.  That was about all that was said.  Beyond that,
>we were interacting with the staff throughout the time and whatever
>arrangements you wished to make were up to you.  I'm sure some chose
>mentors, others not.  I must admit there were times when I ate lunch with
>different staff members where I had the feeling that I was interviewig
>possible candidtates for being my mentor.  Other than taht, I felt it my
>responsibility to handle.
>
>If you want something with more form, something a colleague in Open Space,
>Michael Lindfield, does might work.  When the circle reconvenes at the end
>of an event, he'll have a 15-minute "taking care of business"
>marketplace.  Essentially, anyone is invited to do any individual
>follow-up with anyone else within the bounds of the circle.  So, I might
>take my calendar, walk across to the circle to where you're seated and set
>up a time to meet with you.  That time could be to ask someone to be a
>mentor or any other sort of follow-up in the moment I want to handle.

**************************************
In the late 60' (and there were NO dinosaurs that I saw) I was doing Peace
Corps Training for teachers going to West Africa. OST wasn't even a dream
-- but I guess I was "there" anyhow. But in the training it was obvious
that new teachers needed mentors. It was also obvious that a "bad" mentor
was worse than nothing. Our solution was to ask that folks spend the first
week of the program (it was a 6 week program) "sniffing each other out" --
and then come to some agreement with mentor/mentee of their choosing.
Seemed to work pretty well -- which suggests that Peg suggestion via
Michael L. would do the same. After all things go faster in Open Space...

Harrison



Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-469-9269
Summer Phone 207-763-3261
fax 301-983-9314
website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh
Open Space Institute website www.openspaceworld.org
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