Most teachers can expect to be mentored, and the mentoring experience can happen at any point during their career – whether as a PGCE student, an NQT, or after a promotion.
Anne Swift, the president of the National Union of Teachers, describes a mentor as a person “who acts as a support to whoever they are mentoring – whether a student beginning teacher, colleague, or fellow professional”.
She continued: “The mentor holds up the mirror to their mentee to illustrate what’s good about their practice – and highlights ways to develop further.”
For Kim Knappett, president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and a secondary science teacher in south London, mentors are “people who walk alongside you that are prepared to watch you teach, to listen to you talk about your teaching, and your professional career, and then help you to shape your career”.
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