Tips for Mentors
February 2025
Dear Mentors,
As we continue our journey together, BEST deeply appreciates the dedication and insight you bring to educators across Washington State. Your guidance shapes not only the experiences of new teachers but also the learning environments of their students. This month, we invite you to reflect on a key aspect of mentorship: unconscious biases. As educators, our perceptions and assumptions—often formed without conscious awareness—can influence how we interact with students and colleagues. By recognizing these biases, we open the door to more equitable and supportive learning spaces. Here are two questions to help foster self-awareness and intentional reflection in your mentoring practice.
- In what ways does my identity influence seeing equitable behaviors and practices?
- In what ways might I work to be more aware of ways my identity influences my mentoring?
Here are some resources to help us examine our unconscious biases.
Unconscious Bias: When Good Intentions Aren't Enough
Understanding Teacher Bias - Impact of Unconscious Bias | Learning A-Z
Harvard Project Implicit: Take a Test
February Learning-Focused Conversation
"The answer to this perennial coaching question--how can I coach a resistant teacher? -- actually sits inside the question itself in the word "resistant." When we label a mentee "resistant," we create a psychological and even moral distance that can undermine our goals.
---Shane Safir, Senior Associate, National Equity Project
Have you ever encountered resistant behaviors from your mentees? This month, our Mentor Roundtables offer a space from reflecting on unconscious biases to responding to resistance while mentoring.
We’ll explore strategies for understanding and addressing resistance in mentoring relationships. Through reflective discussions and shared experiences, we’ll unpack the underlying factors that contribute to resistance and develop approaches that foster trust, engagement, and growth.
Let’s challenge our assumptions, refine our mentoring practices, and support one another in creating meaningful learning experiences.
To read more about this topic: How Can I Coach a Resistant Teacher
Does this resource resonate with your practice? Do you want to dig deeper with a group of brilliant minds?
- Sign up for our Roundtable in February to learn more here: BEST Mentor Roundtable We sincerely invite you to continue growing your practice as mentors with us!
Connecting to Mentor Standards:
Standard 4: CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT
e. Designing Lessons: I engage my mentee in designing lessons focused on authentic engagement,
differentiation, and equitable practices that ensure learning for all students.
Standard 6: EQUITABLE PRACTICES FOR MENTOR AND MENTEE
b. Facilitate Relationship Building: I work to improve awareness and sensitivity toward issues of equity and race (e.g., cultural knowledge, racism, inequities, microaggressions, discriminatory practices) when building and improving relationships with my mentee, students’ families, colleagues, and the community.
c. Promote Classroom Equity: I seek to promote classroom practices that meet the needs of all learners.
Use these tools and resources to support educator-student connections and facilitate growth:
Call for Mentor Faculty and Induction Coaches!
- Would you like to help support training of mentors in Washington State?
- Would you like to support ESA mentors to grow their mentoring practices in Washington State?
- Would you like to coach districts to enhance their comprehensive induction practices?
OSPI welcomes candidates to apply for contractor positions to be a part of BEST. OSPI will post the application process and information for the following positions:
- Mentor Faculty
- Mentor Faculty- ESA Specialist
- Induction Coach
Applicaitons are open from now to February 24th. Please check this link to see details.
Save the Date!
BEST Grantee Convening: Promising Practices
March 18, 2025
0830-1230
If you're a BEST grantee or a mentor, you're welcome to join our convening to be in BEST community and learn about promising practices in our State.
Stay tuned for more information!
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