Does good mentoring happen in Adult Education and Literacy? Indeed, it does,
both intentionally and by design and informally as professional courtesy.

 

After serving as a teacher and leader in two public schools for over 30
years without mentors, I have reveled in the realm of professional
mentorship as an adult educator in a comprehensive nonprofit learning center
for the past ten years. I have been extremely fortunate to have had the same
administrative mentor for nine years, which has enabled me to develop
professionally as an educator/instructor, transition-to-college program
coordinator, and children's literacy project director and, in turn, serve as
a mentor to students, professional colleagues, and community collaborators.
What I have gained from the wisdom and advisement shared by my mentor has
enhanced both my educational experience and intuitive knowledge and enabled
me to be ever so much better at what I do than I would have been otherwise.
Without his respect for both my personal and professional integrity and
capability, I would not have transitioned successfully in the AEL field and
I would not have endured the hardships that were inherent in my assignments
or the travails of experimental pilots. I dare say that a synergistic
professional relationship has developed, characterized by confidentiality,
commitment and dedication, loyalty, optimism, and balancing humor, all of
which helped to sustain both our programs and us as working partners. How
lucky am I?

 

If I were to use David Rosen's comprehensive summary of Adult Literacy
Education Leadership qualities, experience, behaviors, and skills as
performance criteria or as a competencies checklist for my mentor and
confidante, Jack Glade, Executive Director of The Tutorial Center, he would
be awarded a five-star rating for each category. How could I or anyone not
benefit from quality mentoring from an adult educator with those qualities?
Further, how could they possibly not be radiated or magnified to affect many
other members of adult education and literacy enterprises?

 

I also benefited as an adult education practitioner from the mentoring that
I received several years ago from Amy Brockman when she was responsible for
professional development at Vermont DOE. She was a virtual model of "best
practice", manifesting both leadership skills and instructional/presentation
strategies. For me, Amy was an expert advisor/coach/mentor and human bridge
to educational betterment.  Although brief in time frame, the professional
interaction has had a lasting effect and has helped serve others well.

 

On a daily basis, I have benefited from the prescient mentoring by my
colleague, Ginger Baker, a seasoned and sensible sage who seemed to know
what I needed or would be helpful to me without being asked, but was always
there for me when needed. Without her mentorship in every phase of practice,
I would not have been sufficiently able to meet the standards in my role as
an adult educator.

 

Grateful especially to these three adult educators, but to all in AEL who
have mentored me in some way,

 

Jan 

 

Tell me a story ... Project
Jan Martin Bopp, Project Director
Adult Education and Literacy
the tutorial center
208 Pleasant Street
Bennington, VT 05201

802.447.0111 ext. 108
 <blocked::mailto:janb at tutorialcenter.org> janb at tutorialcenter.org

The Bennington 
  BRIDGE-TO-COLLEGE & Careers PROGRAM
Jan Martin Bopp, Educator and Program Coordinator

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/specialtopics/attachments/20090930/89620965/attachment.html