Mentor On-going Opportunities are for mentors to continue their learning in community with other mentors. After attending Mentor Academy 101, mentors can choose an on-going learning community to engage with others throughout the school year. They run September through May.

These are opportunities for mentors and coaches to connect in community, build knowledge, practice skills, and reflect on their work supporting educator growth and pursuing educational equity. There are many different roundtables at different times of day and days of the week. There are roundtables for mentors of color (BIPOC), mentors of special education teachers, mentors in small or rural districts, and more.

Check out the BEST Events & Trainings page to register for open opportunities! Next year's schedule will be posted soon.

BEST will continue to provide all events online until further notice.

BEST Contacts

Lan Le, Administrative Program Specialist

Kati Casto de Ventura, Lead Program Supervisor

Bawaajigekwe Boulley, Program Supervisor

E: best@k12.wa.us

P: (360) 725-6430

Tips for Mentors
May 2023

Artwork by Taylor Kidder-Morrill of OSPI

Aligning to Washington State Standards for Mentoring

The Washington State Standards for Mentoring offer a grounding and a reference point to rest and rely on. Mentors are encouraged to complete end-of-year reflections on their own growth and practice and use the standards as a guiding tool. Spend some time remembering the year's learning journey and ask for observations and feedback from colleagues including mentor and mentee.

BEST Observation & Feedback Academy

Want to learn more about Observation and Feedback?

Be sure to sign up for this new BEST Academy. Using Instructional Frameworks in Observation and Feedback focuses on mentor/mentee observation cycles using instructional frameworks as a third point. Participants will learn to use the Principles of Practice and Mind the Gap tools to guide their observations and feedback.

Upcoming Academy Dates:

May 4, 8am-3pm
June 1, 8am-3pm

Transformational Coaching Rubric

If you are part of the BEST Roundtable Community, the following rubric will pop up this month. From Elena Aguilar's book The Art of Coaching, there is a Transformational Coaching Rubric or TCR 2.0. This is a perfect time of year and a helpful tool to reflect on your practice as a mentor.

The rubric has several indicators and a few domains. If you catch yourself getting overwhelmed by it all, do what the Roundtables are doing and focus on domains 5-7.

Domain 5: Coach's Beliefs About Self and Client
Domain 6: Coaching for Equity
Domain 7: Coach's Emotional Intelligence

You can find the entire rubric on the Bright Morning website as a free resource linked here.

More on Transformational Coaching

This year's theme for BEST is Transformational Mentoring and has been guiding us since August. We aren't the only ones in education having this conversation about transformation.

What does transformational mentoring and coaching mean anyway?

Elena Aguilar says it well, "Transformation requires taking a holistic approach and skillfully exploring someone's beliefs and ways of being. This approach is what defines Transformational Coaching. Transformational Coaches also operate from two truths: that every conversation is an equity conversation, and if people are present, so are their emotions."

Want to learn more?

Elena Aguilar and the Bright Morning team offer a Transformational Coaching workshop based on the book The Art of Coaching. You can find more information along with a full list of Bright Morning upcoming events (some are free) along with a plethora of free mentoring resources at the Bright Morning website.

“Everyone we work with knows a lot more and can do a lot more than we think. It's our job as coaches to find out what it is that they know, care about, can do, and are committed to, and then to use that information to help them move their practice.”
― Elena Aguilar

ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.
Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.

SUBSCRIBER SERVICES
Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com.

OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to the Equity and Civil Rights Director, P.O. Box 47200, Olympia, WA 98504-7200, 360-725-6162 (TTY: 360-664-3631), equity@k12.wa.us.

BEST Tips for Mentors: May 2023

Beginning Educator Support Team (BEST)

BEST Events