A saying I heard once on the topic of leadership went something like
this, "Release the branches gently, lest they strike those who follow."


 

In my experience in adult ESOL teaching, now with a job description that
says I am supposed to make sure teachers have what they need to do their
job and students have what they need to learn, these words come to mind
from time to time.

 

Sometimes it may be mere chance that we are the lucky one out front, who
is in the place to see something coming that the ones who follow can't
see yet.  Something like the lookout in the "bird's nest" on the ship's
top mast.

 

Sometimes, in order to avoid others getting slapped in the face with an
unexpected problem it can help if we tell them to catch the problem
before it gets away.  

 

Sometimes, it might be the case that we moved things out of place before
the one that follows got there, and, in reality, that is the problem.
If we are to be responsible and respectful, we need to tell them it is
our bad, so as to avoid them thinking it is supposed to be that way.

 

Once, as a tutor of five young Haitian immigrants in Marin County,
California, I was taken by surprise when, at the last tutoring session,
the students had prepared a large number of water-filled balloons for
me.  They began to throw them at me as soon as I arrived.  Try as I
might to catch and return the balloons, I still got drenched.  

 

When I shared what happened with one of my professors (who was a mentor
for me), he said it looked like I had prepared them well to be ready to
disrupt the bonds they felt when I was their tutor.  They needed to do
something drastic to put me in my place and raise themselves to my level
and show me they need not "respect" me anymore.  They somehow took me,
their tutor, and accepted me, I am glad to say, as their friend to this
day.  

 

Phil Anderson

Program Specialist, Adult ESOL

Florida Department of Education

Division of Career and Adult Education

(850) 245-9450

________________________________

From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of David J. Rosen
Sent: Monday, September 28, 2009 8:09 PM
To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
Subject: [SpecialTopics 1413] No mentoring in Adult Literacy?

 

Colleagues,

 

I am disappointed at the poor response to these two questions about
mentoring. Perhaps you have meant to reply but have put it off. Don't
delay much longer. This discussion ends tomorrow, Tuesday, September
29th.

*       Have you been formally or informally mentored by an experienced
adult education leader? If so, was that a positive experience? If so,
what made it especially beneficial?

*      Have you mentored a potential adult literacy education leader? If
so, was that a positive experience? If so, what do you think was
especially effective?

Maybe not many people in our field have mentored someone, or have been
mentored. If so, we may have a serious leadership problem. Leadership
requires good models, of course, but would-be leaders also need help,
support, encouragement, people who believe in them, people who will take
the time to show them how to be effective.

 

I have been mentored and I have mentored. My mentors did not necessarily
think of themselves as my "mentor", and I am sure the people I have
mentored have thought of me more as just someone who cared enough about
them to answer their questions, take them seriously, suggest some other
ways of solving problems, and most important, someone who believed they
had the makings of good leadership and wanted to see them succeed.

 

I am less interested in whether we have formal mentorships with that
name, although these might be useful. I am interested to know whether
mentoring is taking place, if people new to our field are getting the
support they need to be education leaders. 

 

Now is the time to speak up, please. What and how is our field doing
with mentoring? Even if all you have to say about this is "I never
thought about this before. I have never seen mentoring in this field.
What is it?" now would be a good time to say that. 

 

Of course, if you have mentored or been mentored, tell us about that,
too. 

 

David J. Rosen

Special Topics Discussion Moderator

djrosen at theworld.com

 

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