Work Based Project - Term Paper Example

«Paying It Forward» I am a self-confessed lover of learning. From the time I was young, I have always been curious and eager to know about things that catch my attention. I have always been known to ask questions, and when I am satisfied with the information I have gathered, I run along and share to my family members and the other people in the refugee camp where I come from. I have come a long way from that eager learner in my youth, not only in terms of physical distance, but in terms of my personal and professional growth as well. I have come to Australia from a refugee camp in Vietnam twenty nine years ago. This journal documents my reflections in being both a mentor and a mentee in my life journey as a high school teacher and accountant. November 9, 2008, Sunday: Reflections as a Mentee I look back at a time when I struggled with the English language. I was very young when I came to Australia and the only language I knew was Cantonese, as my parents have Chinese roots. The first six years was a struggle, but in school, my teachers were very accommodating. Being an English as a Second Language student, I was a mentee of my English teacher. On hindsight, I now see her as my mentor in learning English. From my readings, a mentor takes a special interest in the mentee, or her protégé, as she takes him under her wing and guides him in decision-making, attitude, behavior and specific tasks related to the field she is mentoring him with (http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/mentor/1.html). A mentoring relationship then develops over time, during which the mentee’s needs changes as well as the nature of the mentoring relationship. The mentor is aware of such changes and adjusts the kind of attention, advise, assistance and motivation she provides. Mutual respect, trust, understanding and empathy are values embodied by an effective mentoring relationship. My English teacher, Mrs. O’Brien fit the definition to a T!. Even if I was young, and from a different culture, she did not emphasize it to my classmates and treated me no differently except for some individualized and group sessions on learning English with other foreign students. At that age of puberty, she understood that I did not want attention focused on me because I was different and did not have enough self confidence at the time, however, she knew that in the appropriate environment of a class of other foreign students, I would need her attention in helping me learn English so I would be better prepared when I get back to my real class with the other Australian natives. Shea (1992) was correct in her argument that mentoring is a powerful tool in benefiting cultural diversity. Mrs. O’Brien listened to my individual need as a young foreigner struggling to fit in. She respected my cultural background and though it was not really highlighted in class, her warm acceptance of my differences made me feel included. Shea (1992) further claims that in respecting differences and practicing the art of inclusion, stronger, more rewarding organizations and societies are built. Although I look back to Mrs. O’Brien as one of the many mentors I have had in my life, I assess now that it only reached the second level of mentoring relationship that Hay (1995) described. To wit, Hay (1995) differentiates learning that comes in three levels in a mentoring relationship. The first level is traditional learning, which is the usual coaching and teaching about how to do things properly. An example is a teacher giving extra time to tutor a student on a particularly difficult concept. In my case, it is the learning of the conversational English language used in Australia. Mrs. O’Brien indeed assisted me in the proper language use. Being conversational in the English language meant I had to have a repertoire of a good number of vocabulary words at my disposal, be proficient in grammar and pronounce the words well. This, I learned from Mrs. O’Brien. In the English for foreigners class, she modeled conversational English and corrected us of errors we made and explained to us why they were erratic. Whenever a mistake was made by the student, Mrs. O’Brien corrects it in such a way that the class learns from that mistake. That way, being corrected did not intimidate them in attempting to speak in a foreign language, as opposed to some teachers who impatiently correct and humiliate students who commit mistakes. Correction like the ones Mrs. O’Brien did took an enormous amount of respect and trust for each other in the class as well as an openness to feedback. The next of Hay’s levels of learning in mentorship is transitional learning which is about how things may be done differently. Learners make transitions that require them to be deeply aware of their goals and objectives and what to do in order to achieve them by trying out a different approach. In every step of the way, they need to reflect if they are on the right track. Mrs. O’Brien kept me aware that my social interactions with people more fluent in the English language and my English-related experiences further solidified my learning of this second language. The external motivations inspired by observing native English speakers roll out the words so smoothly to communicate effectively, as well as being able to approximate such skill and be praised for it, urged me to go on and take up the challenge of advancing my English skills. In the community, I noticed that people kept inserting the word “mate” in their sentences to reflect a positive relationship with the person addressed. I was able to assume that ‘mate’ may be used in Australia whenever anyone is spoken to in a friendly way, and I too started to use it without question. Thus, Richard Schmidt’s ‘noticing’ hypothesis can be employed in this case: to learn something, it first has to be noticed (Lightbown and Spada, 2006, p. 44). He also states that acquisition of a second language may start once the learner becomes aware of a language feature (p. 45). Mrs. O’Brien had a great influence on that too, although she let us figure our own observations and discoveries ourselves first then share with her for validation later. My mentoring relationship with Mrs. O’Brien did not really reach the deepest level of learning which is transformational learning, which is about learning to learn. The student has already developed skills of deep awareness and analysis of his motives and actions, and the teacher collaborates with him in increasing his openness to learning. The process of learning is emphasized more than skills and techniques. We did not reach this stage because our time with each other although productive, was limited, and I had to go to the next grade and have a new set of mentors. November 11, 2008, Tuesday: Becoming a Mentor? I currently teach Business Studies and Economics to Year 11 and 12 high school students every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Being an accountant for the past 10 years and a teacher in the last 3 to 5 years, I feel I have a lot to offer to students in need. Today, having had this course at the top of my mind, I keenly searched for a worthy student of mine who really needed someone to guide him or her. From my record, I chose one boy who was doing well in class but is often absent. He is rather shy, but exhibits above average intelligence. I am just concerned about his attendance because this may affect his learning and performance in school in general. Let us name him Gordon. November 12, 2008, Wednesday: Initiation Kram (1983) dissects the mentoring relationship into four phases. The first is the Initiation phase when a mentor identifies a mentee needing assistance. Being offered help, the mentee feels grateful and develops admiration for the mentor who is only too happy to find the opportunity to transmit his values and perspective. With this idea to back me up, I approached Gordon during break time. I established rapport by commenting on the homework on a small business proposal he had turned in last week. The business he thought of was desktop publishing of marketing materials like flyers, posters and stickers for other businesses and even invitations to parties, and other things that needed artwork done on the computer. I told him it was impressive of him to have thought of a business with the use of computers and asked if it was in his line of interest. The wide smile he gave me answered my question, and then I asked him if he would be willing to make his business proposal a reality. An even wider smile, coupled with a glint in his eye. He admitted he would love to, but did not have time. He revealed that his family was having financial problems and his mother needed to help out his father in earning an income, and on days when she had to work on the day shift, he had to stay home to watch his very young siblings. That was the reason why he had been absent from school often. We talked for quite some time thinking of alternative solutions to his problems, and agreed on the possibility of carrying out his desktop publishing business while at home with his siblings and on days when he misses school, he would accept additional school load to make up for it. We ended our talk with promises to think about it and meet up again after class on the following day. November 13, 2008, Thursday, Cultivation My meeting with Gordon was filled with anticipation and excitement at the prospect of working together for a great purpose. Mine was to mentor him in his desktop publishing business to help him and his family out financially while likewise helping him hone his talents and skills. His was also to help out financially but more to give life to an idea he has been excited with from the time I assigned the project to the class. At this stage, Gordon and I have reached Kram’s Cultivation stage in our mentoring relationship. We began discussing our plan of action. It was a brainstorming session where both had equal opportunities to voice out their ideas. He brought along his notebook and a copy of the proposal he came up with and explained to me the mechanics of the business like how he creates his products and for what purpose. I on the other hand asked him questions such as who he thinks his probable customers will be, and how he expects to earn from it. I also asked him how he will schedule his time to accommodate the business when he has his family and school to consider. We threw ideas back and forth and wrote them all down on paper. Since our brainstorming session was getting too long, we agreed to think about details of the business and his school and family situation for our next meeting which was the Tuesday of the following week. November 18, 2009, Tuesday, Continuation of Cultivation Phase Gordon was ready with the details we agreed to discuss for this meeting. I brought along a list of prospective customers. They were mostly my friends and their referrals in need of attractive and creative marketing paraphernalia in their businesses. We enumerated the goals of the business and the processes needed to be undergone – securing of permits, sourcing of materials, allotment of budget and schedule and of course, funding. It was typical of Kram’s cultivation stage because boundaries of our mentoring relationship have been established, and we no longer had doubts to move on unlike in the first stage. Although I was enjoying the process, I also doubted myself if I can sustain the high spirits and dynamism we shared. I felt a great responsibility towards this young man, as I incited such passion for his new endeavor and I felt whatever failure he would encounter would likewise be mine. I realized that my senses were heightened as I thought on my toes. I found comfort in Schon’s (1983) concept of “knowing-in-action”, and that a mentor who assists a mentee in the exploration of the meaning of their joint ideas develops a learning and self-improvement approach that gets inculcated in both long after the mentoring relationship ceases. Thus what is essential is the process both go through during discussions and brainstorming. November 19, 2009, Wednesday, Continuation of Cultivation Phase Gordon was absent in school. He mentioned yesterday that his mother is on day shift today so I gave him extra homework. I am aware that being his teacher is independent from being his mentor in his new endeavor and I had to balance my roles in both. I know I made it clear in the initiation phase that my two roles should not overlap and that he will not get any special treatment in class just because I took him under my wing. November 20, 2009, Thursday, Continuation of Cultivation Phase Gordon surely maximized the time of his absence from school. He handed in his homework along with the extra one I gave him and I must say he put in a lot of effort in it! After class, he also showed me samples of his products: a calling card, a flyer for a new gas station and a birthday party. They were absolutely marvelous! This young man showed much talent and much promise! He even said he already contacted a friend of his whose little sister was celebrating her fifth birthday and the mother was interested in ordering invitations from him! As his mentor, I shared his excitement, but he was not aware that deep inside, I was brimming with pride for my mentee. We discussed the cost of production to determine how much he would charge his first customer. November 22, 2009, Saturday, Continuation of Cultivation Phase I have only been a mentor to Gordon for a short time but I felt I needed to reflect on my mentoring practice. Reflective practice has both advantages and disadvantages. It can positively affect professional growth and development by leading to greater self-awareness, to the development of new knowledge about professional practice, and to a broader understanding of the problems that confront practitioners (Osterman 1990). However, it is a time-consuming process and it may involve personal risk because the questioning of practice requires that practitioners be open to an examination of beliefs, values, and feelings about which there may be great sensitivity (Peters 1991; Rose 1992). I still believed it would be a good idea to go through reflection of our progress with my mentee. Reflecting in a mentoring relationship is especially beneficial because a mentee can have a sounding board of her reflections, and it comes back with valuable advise to boot! Hopefully, Gordon will have that benefit from me. November 25, 2008, Tuesday, Continuation of Cultivation Phase Gordon reported to me that he was able to impress his first customer with his birthday invitations and had a good deal with her. His first successful venture further encouraged him to continue his thriving business. He also shared with me that his parents were proud of him for having the initiative to help out but was worried that it may affect his studies. He was able to reason out to them that he had everything under control and that I was helping him in the management of his time, resources, and even business sense. I told him it was time we reflected on our mentoring relationship thus far. We spent the time doing just that and unearthed the good and bad things we may have been practicing. November 26, Wednesday, Continuation of Cultivation Phase Gordon voiced out his concerns about the growth of his business during the holiday season, with some businesses opening up in time for the holidays and of course, the need for personalized Christmas cards and tags. He kept a folder of samples with him and has gotten quite a number of orders from his classmates and other friends and neighbors. In his own way, he was making a name for himself! November 27, Thursday, Continuation of Cultivation Phase I knew my advices were important to Gordon, but I also realized that soon, I would be stepping out to the shadows and let him stand on his own. However, I knew he would still need my mentoring over the holidays when we expect a big bulk of orders from him, so I stay on. Separation Phase In Kram’s (1983) phases of mentoring relationship, separation of mentor and mentee is inevitable. Eventually, Gordon will outgrow his need for my mentorship as he learns more and more about the business and the management of his academic and family life. I keep reminding him that this is a temporary undertaking on my part and that when he develops his roots and wings, then he is free to go on his own. Sometimes, he would show resistance to the idea especially if we are doing so well in our mentoring sessions, but at other times when he reaps successes, and even when he makes mistakes, he is bold enough to claim his responsibility for it. I know I am dealing with a mature mentee. Redefinition Phase The final phase in Kram’s phases of mentorship is Redefinition. I look forward to the time when Gordon and I would see each other as colleagues in the field. I know I would be proud to have been part of his future success as a businessman. Unlike my mentoring relationship with Mrs. O’Brien, my own relationship with Gordon as his mentee will surely reach the third level of depth in Hay’s (1995) levels of learning in mentoring relationships which is transformational learning. This is because of the intensity, breadth and depth of our discussions in our mentoring sessions. So far, it has been good, and both Gordon and I have been learning much from it enough to transform our thinking to reach greater heights. My Own Realizations and Final Reflection: Now, I know which direction I want to take in bringing me closer to my ideals. I want to be an effective mentor. One who can discern which learning strategy would be most appropriate on a case-to-case basis. Imbedded in him are hidden agendas for making his students reach their optimum learning potentials and in effect, the development of a healthy self-esteem. He is aware that he is just an instrument in assisting the students to gain knowledge, and not the source of knowledge himself. I want to be on hand to ignite the spark of interest and motivation of my students. It is now up to the students themselves to turn that spark into a burning flame that would keep them fired up for more learning. References: Hay, J. (1995). Learning and changing. Transformational mentoring: creating developmental alliances for changing organizational cultures. London: McGraw-Hill. http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/mentor/1.html Kram, K. E. (1983). Phases of the mentor relationship. Academy of Management Journal, (December 1983),. Lightbown, P.M. & Spada, N. (2006). How Languages Are Learned. New York: Oxford University Press. Osterman, K. F (1990) "Reflective Practice: A New Agenda for Education." EDUCATION AND URBAN SOCIETY 22, no. 2 (February 1990): 133- 152. Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books. Shea, G. (1992). Mentoring: A practical guide. Los Altos, CA: Crisp. Southern Cross University, An introduction to mentoring. An Equity Office Project, April 2000. Read More