Running Head: TEACHER PREPARATION

Teacher Preparation and the Importance of Mentorship

G. Nicole Magee
University of St. Thomas
EDUC 6326
Dr. Nduta Gichuri-Echessa
October 11, 2014

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What can be said about the feeling one gets from the tranquil presence of three dozen 8th
graders? You can hear their busy pencils grazing crisp white pages inside of their pristine
science journals. The virtually silent swoosh of pages turning in their textbooks exhibits a
perfectly controlled environment. Depending on ones interpretation, this could be the classroom
of a great practitioner. But, this was not my classroom. My classroom was informal, fluid, and
bursting with enthusiasm. Scientific discovery and exploration would always be the order of the
day.
The daughter of two educators, I hurled myself head-first into teaching as if I was
somehow genetically predisposed to the profession. Armed with degrees in biology and
chemistry, and not much else, I showed up at the front steps of the school with no certification
and no clue. I would soon come to understand that the educational system that shaped me would
not sufficiently engage these learners. As a result, my teaching style would develop from
mentorship, trial-and-error and pure grit.
Two weeks prior to the opening of school, I learned how to take attendance, enter grades,
and log in to my school district email account. I was given a teachers edition, a set of textbooks,
keys and a time card. Although eager and energetic, even I was wearied by the seemingly
endless discussions about dress code, student code of conduct, the teacher handbook, and
professionalism as it pertained to teachers attendance, tardiness and bus duty. Even the fire drill
map was allotted an hour. I met with the science department, and I sat there silently wondering
when we would get to the training that would tell me what I would be teaching and how to teach
it. But alas, that training never materialized.
I was in no way operating under the delusion that just because I had knowledge of the
content that I would be able to get 165 8th graders to understand Newtons laws of motion or

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plate tectonics. So I decided that I would tackle this challenge the same way I approached
organic chemistry my junior year of college. I would research and study. There was, of course,
more information than I was able to process or internalize in such a short time. But, I settled on
three things that would set me on what I hoped would be the right path: classroom environment,
classroom management, and student engagement. Most importantly, I also sought the advice of
master teachers.
I created a warm, welcoming environment that was colorful and text rich. I decided on
procedures for entering the classroom, turning in assignments, lab safety, and any other possible
scenario that I, with my limited experience, could think of. But, the biggest mountain to climb
would be engagement. The language arts teacher on my team shared several interactive
vocabulary strategies for introducing new content. The history teacher talked about how he used
story-telling to engage his students. A math teacher shared how important manipulatives and
visual aids would be for my struggling learners. And most importantly, the science department
chair trained me in the 5E model which initially focuses on engaging students before going on to
scientific exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation. I created each lesson, with his
guidance, based on this model. Under the tutelage of these master teachers, I developed a
teaching style that was rigorous, highly effective, and most importantly engaging.
Knight (2013) refers to engagement as finding meaning and value in the tasks that are involved
in the work (p. 129). If that description rings true, then over the years I have been as engaged
as my students.

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References
Knight, J. (2013). Instruction. In High-impact instruction: A framework for great
teaching (p. 129). Thousand Oaks: Corwin.