What I didn't realize was that I was working with a faculty that understood the need to celebrate. The next afternoon, a group of teachers walked into my classroom with a cheese ball and a bottle of Champagne and we celebrated that Mikey had read. It is important for the beginning teacher and the mentor to have those opportunities to celebrate success, because in celebrating we build our energy to persevere. And our students need us to persevere. The Opportunity to Create Options Great teachers must have an endless list of options.
Great teachers are great because they always have something else to try.
They never give up on a kid. If the first 10 things they try don't work, they're back with strategy number eleven. Beginning teachers usually ask where to get ideas. Mentoring creates a great opportunity for the exchange of ideas. When beginning teachers enter a classroom, they don't know the things they don't know.