Entries by Michael Soulé

Mentor in Greek Mythology

December 9, 2014 in /by

In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Heracles and Asopis. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus, who had placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War. The first recorded modern usage of the term can be traced to a 1699 book entitled Les Aventures de Télémaque, by the French writer François Fénelon. In the book the lead character is that of Mentor. This book was very popular during the 18th century and the modern application of the term can be traced to this publication.

Mentoring: Key Aspects for a Successful School Mentoring Program

December 9, 2014 in , , /by

Mentoring is essential to a school’s success. After leading seminars for 6 years on mentoring, we have identified some key aspects that will help everyone:

1. Assign a person to coordinate the mentoring work in the school.
Like in any activity in the organization, without a person leading and coordinating it, it has a slim chance of being effective or successful. Choose someone who has successful teaching experience, some experience with mentoring, and leadership skills.
2. Get clear about the difference between mentoring, peer support and evaluation.
Mentoring is a professional relationship where an experienced teacher coaches a less experienced teacher to help them improve their teaching, collegial and parent work.

Mentoring an Untrained Teacher

December 9, 2014 in , , /by

In a recent conversation about mentoring with my long-time colleague Nettie Fabrie from Sound Circle Center who is the Pedagogical Dean of the Seattle Waldorf School, I posed a question about mentoring a new and untrained teacher and she shared with me an important thought about mentoring new teachers in general.
She asked me, “Has this teacher gone through a teacher training or preparation course? If not then one needs to take a different route in mentoring this teacher. One needs to develop a support program for the teacher that looks more like training than mentoring.”

Mentoring in Waldorf Early Childhood Education, WECAN

December 1, 2014 in /by

About mentoring . . . to begin with . . . Mentoring is a collegial relationship which contributes to the personal and professional development of both the mentor and the student, teacher, or caregiver being mentored (called the “mentee” in this handbook). Mentoring is a process of mutual adult learning. The mentor, an experienced teacher, […]

Working Together: An Introduction to Pedagogical Mentoring

December 1, 2014 in /by

WORKING TOGETHER: AN INTRODUCTION TO PEDAGOGICAL MENTORING Table of Contents Foreword .     .     .                7 Introduction .     .     .     .                       11 Considerations for Schools .     .     .           15 An Example of Mentoring […]

Alignment: LeadTogether Highlight #12 11-24-14

December 1, 2014 in , /by

Alignment: LeadTogether Highlight #12 Alignment is an important element in any organization, school or business. How people are aligned with the whole of the organization and understand both how the parts work together and how they can be successful in the parts and the whole is vital to the ongoing success of any organization. More […]

Positivity: LeadTogether Highlight #13 12-1-14

December 1, 2014 in , /by

Positivity: LeadTogether Highlight #13 12-1-14 Dear Friends, While researching the current newsletter on Mentoring, I found an article on the practice of Appreciative Inquiry. Developed as an idea to help consultants for organizations take a path away from looking for what is wrong to looking for and building on what is right, Appreciative Inquiry is […]