Do you have anyone in your life that has acted as a mentor to you? Have you ever helped someone else out in this way?
I have had many mentors over the course of my 36 years of life. They have all imparted something different but equally important on me. The most obvious mentors would be family members, however, apart from them, the most impactful mentors have been my teachers. My kindergarten teacher taught me to love learning and is the reason I wanted to become a teacher. My Spanish teacher in high school perhaps was a once in a lifetime mentor; she guided me and gave me advice during some of the darkest periods of my life. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of her. We have lost touch sadly, but I like to think that she would be proud of me. When I first started teaching my first principal and vice-principal took me under their wing and I am forever grateful for that. First year teaching can be extremely difficult. I try to be a mentor to my students of course. I had the opportunity to be a “mentor-teacher” for a university student and although I didn’t feel worthy of this prestigious position it allowed me to grow and it allowed me to realize how much I had learned over my many years of teaching and how much I had to offer to someone. Being a more senior staff member I try to help beginning teachers as much as possible.
What about you?
From Piccadilly‘s 200 Writing Prompts
