Mentorship

Photo courtesy of Shena Macdonald

Machanic (2001) discusses the value of mentoring as an important faculty development avenue for educators. Machanic (2001) states that new faculty members need to be exposed to multiple ways to teach as well as multiple ways that people learn. Personally, I have experienced the benefits of mentorship since I began teaching at Durban Girls High School in 2010.  I am fortunate enough to have Neith Moore, the head of the Art Department at Durban Girls High School as my primary mentor, but I have been profoundly influenced by many of the staff at Durban Girls High School. Mrs  Moore is constantly experimenting with new teaching methodology as well presenting curriculum in a way that caters for a variety of learning styles.

I was fortunate to experience Mrs Moore’s teaching style as both a pupil, observer and co-teacher. Mrs Moore always refrained from parrot style learner and preferred to ask questions that promoted critical thinking and a thirst for knowledge. You were not allowed to be a passive participant in Mrs Moore’s classroom. Her nudging questions and refusal to print out notes required you to arrive to class with a blank page and an eager mind. Theory lessons were spent recording your own thoughts and the class discussions about a series of questions that Mrs Moore proposed. Our answers were built up by observing and discussing visual clues in a variety of artworks. We would then test our interpretations against general perceptions and class viewpoints. Thus acquiring knowledge was a collaborative affair where one learnt from others as well as historical and contemporary sources.

Some processes take time to understand and many of Mrs Moore's seeds were watered during university, but I shall reflect on that in another post. 

Teaching is such a gift because it grows you as a person. I thought I understood art but when I begun explaining it to others, much of my knowledge was cemented in my own mind. I also love how the application of art principles can have so many different interpretations- if only learners knew how much they teach the teacher. I also found that there was so much that I did not know and would find myself eavesdropping on Moore’s lessons by hiding in our stock room and then running back to tell my class, what I had just heard.  

I am so grateful to Mrs Moore for patiently teaching me how to teach and constantly answering my million questions.  I am also grateful to the staff at Durban Girls High School for always looking out for me- I like to think all the extra help is just because I am an old girl, but I know that they are unbelievably gracious to many people.  The constant chatter in staffroom often delivers so many gems and I am so glad Mrs Martin (the previous principal of Durban Girls High School) took a chance on hiring this fresh-eyed diploma student. 

I am also grateful to my Mom and aunt, who are both excellent art teachers, but they are so special that I think they deserve a post of their own.  One thing I admire about the way my mom teaches is the way she constantly finds something to encourage people with- and you will not believe the results those kind words inspire.

Anyways, what I guess I am trying to say is...I find writing sometimes makes concepts come across as your bright ideas, but really these posts are desperate attempt to extend the access the treasure chest that these incredible mentors have shared with me.  

This post is getting long so I will have to write another post about Information, communication technologies improves mentorship amongst teachers.

Reference

Machanic, M. 2001. [online] 11.3 Faculty Development in Higher Education: "Best Practices" Review and Planning Recommendations for Technology-Rich Learning Environments; Mindy Machanic. Available at: http://www.ed.psu.edu/acsde/deos/deosnews/deosnews11_3.asp [Accessed: 11 Feb 2014].