Supporting Our Own: A Manual for ESP Mentoring Programs

What Is Mentoring?

The concept of mentoring and coaching is not new to school staff. It usually has been in the context of a one-on-one relationship between a novice teacher and an experienced teacher to develop the new teacher’s competencies and skills in the classroom.

Mentoring for ESP is based on the same principle: it is a partnership between two individuals focused on the common goal of developing an employee’s personal and professional growth and skills through a strong learning relationship. The mentoring process pairs an employee with a colleague (a mentor) who has the expertise and desire to help the mentee realize his or her work-related goals and objectives. The support offered by a mentor can extend beyond what an employee receives from a certification program, on-the-job training or supervision by a manager, such as help with interpersonal communications, work habits, or other professional issues.

The mentoring relationship is primarily one-on-one, but it also can be thought of as a mosaic of assistance, with the mentor calling upon other resources in his or her network of contacts to address specific needs of the mentee. For example, a mentoring partnership of two custodians might be able to consult with other individuals, not necessarily custodians, who can lend support in areas such as health and safety, effective communications, interactions with students, or time management.

While the mentee is the primary beneficiary of the mentoring process, the mentor also benefits by honing his or her skills and adapting them to different situations, becoming involved in the wider workplace community, and deriving satisfaction from helping a colleague. A mentoring program can also strengthen the Association or school district by fostering relationships across job categories.

For mentoring to be successful, both parties must be committed to the process. The mentee is responsible for identifying his or her objectives with the help of the mentor. The mentor is charged with guiding the mentee toward realizing those goals. While the length of the relationship is determined by the goals and objectives identified by the mentor and mentee in their first meetings (see page 21), both should be prepared to commit substantial time and energy to the process.

There is no set framework for a mentoring relationship; each relationship is different. The process can last for a few months or a few years. Meetings occur according to schedules determined by the pair: some may meet once a week, others once a month, and others possibly every few months. Some pairs meet in person, while in other situations mentors and mentees communicate by phone and e-mail. These specifics are agreed to by the mentor and mentee at the beginning of their relationship, and can be modified along the way.

What Mentoring Is NOT

Mentoring is not a means to a promotion. For a mentee, involvement in the mentoring process offers no promises beyond personal and professional development. It is not a part of a performance evaluation and has nothing to do with future compensation or advancement (unless specified in a collective bargaining agreement).

Mentoring is not therapy. If an employee is having difficulty at work, it is essential to identify why, and decide whether mentoring is the appropriate avenue to solve that difficulty. An employee may have a personality conflict with a supervisor, in which case a mentor might be able to suggest ways to keep that relationship on a professional rather than a personal level. If an employee is experiencing difficulties in his or her personal life that affect job performance, a mentor might be able to suggest counseling outside of school. But the mentoring relationship should not develop into a situation where the mentee expects the mentor to help solve his or her personal or emotional problems.

Mentoring is not a means to organize employees into the Association. While a mentoring program may be one of the benefits of Association membership, the surest way to discredit it in the eyes of a school district or administration is to use it as a way to recruit new members. The program should exist on its own merits—a way to help new employees. If the Association is seen in a positive light as a result, so much the better.

Mentoring is not simply a way to earn extra money. Your Association may have developed a mentoring program that compensates mentors for their time and effort. While you might be able to put those funds to good use, that should not be your primary reason for becoming a mentor. It’s not a "second job"; it’s an avocation—a source of personal satisfaction and sense of accomplishment.

Go to the next section: "Why Should We Mentor ESP?