Schools that proactively support teachers – both new and experienced – in collaborative environments report better outcomes across the school learning environment.

Mary-Clare Relihan supports teachers becoming mentors and says it's amazing to see the impact it can have, not just on the pre-service teachers’ learning, but the whole school culture. When teachers, mentors, and school leaders embrace coaching as a leadership style, a ripple effect occurs where everyone benefits.

Here are some of the key insights on mentoring these experienced teachers shared:

1. Seek support as a teacher

In the early years as a graduate teacher, seeking help and embracing mentoring opportunities can provide a foundation for continuous learning throughout a teaching career. Sanja Ivetic, a primary teacher, says one of her biggest learnings was that it was OK to seek help and ask for mentoring when she started teaching.

“As a graduate teacher, I felt very confident that it was okay to ask lots of questions. Mentoring and growth coaching gave me a positive experience within my first year of teaching and it still does to this day,” says Sanja.

2. As a mentor, maintain a teacher’s mindset

George Tissera is also both a teacher and a mentor. He has found that as a mentor, maintaining a teacher’s mindset around seeking help and recognising that the perpetual learning journey never ends is critical to creating a culture of support.

George advocates that both novice and experienced teachers should seek to exchange knowledge and experiences. This helps to foster collaboration and support in the school community. He suggests that mentors remain humble, continually learning, and try to cultivate dynamic partnerships.

“It is vital in fostering a collaborative and supportive educational community,” says George. “I still ask for help even being in that mentoring role. You are always learning...”

3. Recognise teachers as ‘adult learners’

Mary-Clare observes that the mentoring process is evolving and moving away from traditional expert-novice dynamics and toward two-way learning and exchange.

“A lot of the work we do is helping mentors and pre-service teachers unpack the role of what it means to be in this partnership in our contemporary education and school systems,” says Mary-Clare. Part of that process is to encourage mentors to recognise teachers as adult learners.

“A skilled mentor knows the difference between the skills they may apply with their students and the skills they may apply when they're supporting an adult learner. They also need to recognise they're coming with their own preconceived ideas and beliefs around teaching and learning.”

She says the sweet spot in the mentor-teacher relationship comes when there is deep reflection happening in the background.

“A good mentor is going to improve student outcomes. But if we focus just on the student outcome, we miss that little sweet spot where we're building this culture and these strong relationships and rich learning environment.”

4. Cultivate vulnerability in mentoring

An ideal mentoring setting in a school environment is where professionals feel comfortable being vulnerable and receiving reflective, non-judgmental feedback.

Sanja suggests a collaborative process such as filming teaching sessions for feedback from peers and mentors. Despite the vulnerability involved, Sanja highlights that creating a safe and supportive space for feedback leads to productive conversations and enhances teaching practices.

“One of the positive outcomes of remote learning was a lot of teacher recording,” explains Sanja. “That was a way we recorded and reflected on our practice. And then we further developed a culture of no judgment. We're not judging the teacher. It's all about improving your practice and what strategies you can use as a teacher to better your practice and better the outcome for the kids.”

It's scaffolding that took time to develop but teachers still did it — when they felt ready.

“I'm very lucky that the mentors in our school show their vulnerability as well. It has to be personal and meaningful because if it's not, there's really no point to it,” says Sanja.

5. Use mentoring skills in your interactions with parents and carers

Mentoring skills extend beyond classroom interactions, aiding teachers in navigating difficult conversations with parents and carers and also creating a collaborative approach to student learning and wellbeing.

“For me being able to use these kinds of coaching skills and strategies, especially in difficult conversations, helps the parent or carer to feel really supported because I'm able to hold space for them,” says Mary-Clare.

“The outcome is beneficial for both parties and the parents are feeling there's a sense of commitment from me, there's a space for them to talk about whatever it might be. But that space is also focused on the learning and wellbeing of their child.”

6. And the best piece of advice?

George says “As a teacher, you never stop learning”. You don’t have to know everything, it’s a process and one that will keep evolving.

Sanja shares that when she started off working in a mentor role she was advised to assume that “people are doing the best with what they know and the skills and knowledge that they have at this moment”.

The benefits of a collaborative school environment that encourages and supports mentoring produce positive outcomes for new and experienced teachers and students. These skills are useful in parent/teacher interactions and in fostering a supportive school culture. This can make a world of difference in your teaching career.