Finding a mentor that fits with your groove and knows how to support your learning style is vital. But why is it that we need mentors in our lives?
We are a humble culture and are not often ones to boast our accomplishments or accolades. This being said, it is vital that we have someone to walk alongside us, to highlight those times where we may not see our most pivotal times of growth or to celebrate the intricacies that make the growth of our practice visible. Reflections of our practice are all around us - it is reflected in the way that tamariki engage and interact because of the environment that we are offering. But do we see these reflections, do we feel them day to day? Sometimes we do and for others, they are not so visible. Here is where a mentor comes in!
An authentic mentor who has a strong and trusting relationship with you, be it internal or external to you and your setting,walks alongside you to highlight the times when you can not see the forest for the trees. A mentor helps you to see through the busyness that is your role and supports you to see what it is that you are striving to progress in your practice. An authentic mentor will know what makes you tick and will use what they know to communicate and engage with you on the level that you need. They make you think and question your engagements so that you can ensure these engagements continue to strengthen.
The focus of self-care has thankfully come to the forefront of our health priorities in today's world. You only have to look on google, pinterest or facebook for example to see that there is an absolute myriad of forums to support the growth of self-care. Our profession takes a little something extra, I believe. Not only are we responsible for the care of ourselves, but we are responsible for modeling this care to all of those who surround us - our tamariki, our whānau, or team of kaiako, our community.
So, with all this said, you may be asking yourself, ‘how and where do I find a mentor who sees me, who hears me?’.
Find the right fit.
Mentors are hidden in many magical places, sometimes they are right under your nose. They could already be in your setting, in your life and are supporting you to grow without having the formal title of ‘Your Mentor’. These little gems will continue to grow with and alongside you.
For some people, you may have to search further afield to find a mentor that connects with you on your level, who you resonate with and who ‘speaks your language’. It is a fact that we do not mesh with everyone we meet and so if you haven't found a compatible mentor within your direct setting, it is perfectly ok and not uncommon. Please do not always assume that your official mentor has to be the person that is in the next role of leadership above you. Seek our the person that is the right fit for you and then meet with that mentor and sit and talk, get to know how they operate, what their teaching/leading philosophy is and see if they will be a good fit for you.
Network outside of your bubble, outside of your ECE setting.
External mentors do not have the emotional bias and attachment to the setting you are teaching in and so when you converse with them, they can see the situation for the rationale that it needs to be viewed with.
An external mentor also can foster accountability. We all know that we would like to think that simply growing for ourselves is enough to commit to development….but sometimes, it does take someone else to get our gears moving, or to remind you of what you are achieving, if you are unable to always recognise it yourself.
Connect and commit to growth.
Commit to the relationship that you have with your mentor. You will strengthen your practice more authentically and at a more rapid growth if you share your passions, challenges and vulnerabilities with your mentor. Commit to wanting to grow and take action. Be accountable for what is discussed with your mentor and the strategies or next steps that are agreed up within these discussions.
Mediocrity has no place in our ECE settings. Cruising along and being ‘fine’ is simply not a standard that any of us should be ok with. Our tamariki deserve positivity, enlightenment, inspiration and beautiful engagements.
Feeling empowered and engaged on a daily basis as a kaiako takes commitment and, let’s face it, some days it is harder than others.
We talk about how vital it is to invest into a business and what aspects are worth investing in. In an early childhood setting, we invest financially into the resources that we put on the tables and the shelves for tamariki to engage with; the outdoor environment and landscaping that will intrigue the minds of our most curious and energetic tamariki; signage and marketing so that our early childhood setting stands out from the crowd.
But who and what investments are being made into the growth of the kaiako?
What time or finances are considered to ensure that kaiako continues to be a valuable resource to support the learning for tamariki?
What finances and time are invested into ensuring kaiako are up to date with the latest child development information to continue to intrigue the minds of the curious?
What time and investment is put into our kaiako to ensure that they are the kaiako that are being recognised for their excellence within the community?
Without kaiako who are passionate, continuing to grow and feel empowered…..there is simply no ECE service.
Invest in how you want to be empowered and invest in the time it may take to find that person to help you feel empowered and to grow.