My Mentorship So Far

I have loved my mentorship so far. I have been given the opportunity to do things through my mentorship that I never would have thought I would get to do. I have been able to study how my mentor teaches and the different techniques she uses. Sometimes, she allows me to grade quizzes, and she will let me my own decisions about how to grade them. Another thing I have gotten to do is answers students' questions when they are working on worksheets. The students ask me for help everyday and are confident that I can teach them correctly. There was also one day when I was allowed to sit in a meeting with all of the 7th grade math teachers, and they planned out how they would improve CRCT scores.
The best thing I have been allowed to do is help the students develop their critical thinking skills. This was a request from the high school math teachers that middle school students need to develop this area more before reaching high school. My teacher gave me the responsibility of doing this for her advanced math classes. I came up with the idea of brain teasers because it was something that my math teachers throughout my entire education, including my mentor, have done to make me fall in love with math. Every week I find a brain teaser for the class to do, and every Friday I let them race for candy to see who can figure it out first. After a certain amount of time, I teach the class how to solve it. I am in charge of the class for the entire time of the brain teaser, and there have been times where I am in charge of the class for the entire period because my mentor is not there. I have been given a lot of freedom in my mentorship, and the kids seem to really enjoy the Friday brain teasers.
I of the best compliments I have received from my mentor is that she told me that I am more comfortable in front of a class than most of the student teachers she has had. I can only say that I have developed this skill by learning from all of the great (and not so great) math teachers I have had throughout my entire education. Specifically, I have closely studied my two math teachers for this year. Both of them are probably two of the best math teachers in all of Hall County, and both of them teach differently. One of them explains the subject as if it were a very intelligent mathematical discussion, while the other one explains very thoroughly. Although their teaching styles are very different, what makes them so successful is that they connect with their students by entertaining them with stories and jokes. I have tried to mix both of their teaching styles together to create my own. So far, it has been successful, and my mentor seems to like it. I hope that through the upcoming semester, I will be able to become a more natural and more comfortable teacher.