Top Qualities of Good Mentor Teachers Should Take Inspiration From by Menachem Moscovitz

Menachem Moscovitz says every teacher has seen that day when he or she wants to just go out and vent about how bad they had. Just have an interaction with someone older and wiser to get a solution. One of the most significant aspects of education is having a mentor who can help you in the hour of need.

 

Mentors may be formally assigned, or a mentor may informally walk into your life. A new teacher must have a mentor who believes in Menachem Moscovitz; he says that a mentor can make a struggling teacher under wings or simply tell you what needs to be done. Mentorship does not always have to be a formal process—but it is an important form of support for new and early career teachers.

If as a teacher you need a mentor in your life then make sure to look out for the following qualities:

• Respect

First and foremost, there must be true respect between the mentor and the mentee (you). But respect does not necessarily need to be formed overnight—it takes a lot of time. Keep in mind that it is always earned not given.

Showing respect is all about the little things a person does. For example, when a veteran teacher with more than 15 or 10 years of experience embraces your new idea for a unit at a staff meeting, it shows you that you are being taken seriously.

Or, when some other teacher comes to your room to just say hi, they are acknowledging that the relationship is about both of you. New teachers feel worthy when their colleagues reach out to them and make sure they are as much involved as they are. This can take many forms such as having lunch, sending an email, or even going to a union meeting together. Menachem Moscovitz says that respect is an integral part of teachers’ journeys.

• Listening

Another major aspect is listening, Menachem Moscovitz believes. By truly listening, you get to know a person. You get to know a person in a more personal way than you may even. For example, a good mentor can pick up on when you are stressed out when you are in the zone when you are having a good day, and so on.

When a mentor puts the entire verbal and nonverbal clues together, they synthesize what you may need—even when you may not be able to even say it yourself. This is one of the qualities of mentorship that is not found in a lot of people. 

 

And once they recognize what you need certainly, good mentors may come to your aid. If you think that you need a sanity lunch, plan one. If you think you need some advice on dealing with misbehaved students, lend some advice from your colleagues. The magic of listening allows mentors and mentees to get to know each other and informs the mentor on how they can be of assistance.

Organization Hacks for Teachers by Menachem Moscovitz

Teachers are creative but they also believe in smart work as well. No amount of storage is enough for teachers to keep their stuff, so here are some great teacher hacks to help you some time by Menachem Moscovitz. Check out the following tips:

 

Hang it Up Session

You would be surprised how many organization dilemmas can be solved by simple and creative wall hangings.

1. Use removable wallpaper painted with chalkboard or whiteboard paint to create writing spaces anywhere in your classroom. Menachem Moscovitz says that smooth surfaces work best- let us think about doors, windows, tables, etc.
2. Take a wire wall hook and affix a clipboard for a good spot for lesson plans — or class list, sub plans or important papers — keeping things easily within the reach.
3. Use glue to attach a thumbtack to a clothespin to hang up clean and used papers. Add some flair by covering the clothespin with a strip of tape.
4. Designate a bulletin board (you can use sticky notes handy) to encourage students to write out questions and own discoveries about a subject matter. It is a very easy way to post questions about what you’re working on in one place.
5. Make a "NO NAME" clipboard with hot-glued to a strip of wood. Display unsigned work by folding papers hotdog style for students to claim.
6. Use painter's tape on your white board to make distinguishable areas for homework information or school announcements.
7. Decorate with dust jackets from picture books hung banner-style or illustrations from old subject-related books. Make tape "frames" for hanging on the wall.
8. Use a thrift store wine rack with plastic cups to store supplies such as markers, extra pens, and small scissors or glue sticks.
9. Take a gallon Ziploc bag with a binder clip attached to one corner and hang on damage-free wire wall hangers for headphones storage.

Keep Students on the Task

 

There are some tricks of the trade to make sure student supplies are in neat order — and that little hands do not leave your classroom a train wreck every day.

1. Remember, a dish drainer filled with manila folders becomes a magical thing when there are review games, matching challenges and review work inside for those needing an extra challenge.
2. Tape together a tissue box with another empty tissue box so students can instantly dispose of used tissues into the empty box.
3. Buy a box of golf pencils for unprepared students at the tops. It decreases the likelihood of them walking off a class. In the first weeks of school, assign the task of taping the pencils to first finishers.
4. Put dice in small clear Tupperware containers and shake as an alternative to having dice fly off the table.
5. Take old DVD or video game cases, slip a white piece of paper in the pocket, and they can be used as mini-whiteboards for classroom games.
6. Use a jar with every student name on a stick for a good way to quickly create groups. It is also an easy way to choose who will go first with presentations or randomly select students for helping in the classroom.

6 Must-Read for Every Teacher by Menachem Moscovitz

1. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish

Communicating with children may seem enough, but when a teacher has 30 new faces looking back at them, they would be glad they read this book. Menachem Moscovitz loves this book and recommends teachers to read it. While the book was originally designed for parents, it has become a teacher’s guide on how properly to instruct children in the classroom so they would listen better and pay attention to you more.

2. 99 Ways to Get Kids to Love Writing: And 10 Easy Tips for Teaching Them Grammar by Mary Leonhardt

Writing is a significant skill, but few teachers teach it well enough so the child will want to continue doing it on their own. Menachem Moscovitz has read the book himself. In this book Mary Leonhardt explains how teachers can start encouraging writing for children as young as preschool age. For higher up grade levels, this book explains easy ways to make grammar fun rather than frustrating.

3. How to Teach a Love of Reading Without Getting Fired by Mary Leonhardt

Teachers who teach teenagers will quickly learn that you cannot make them do anything they do not want to do. This book provides teachers with dozens of suggestions to help increase reading and promote classroom discussion among old students. Best of all, it can all be done through fun classrooms less than punishments or extra homework.

 

4. The Cooperative Classroom: Empowering Learning by Lynda A. Baloche

Menachem Moscovitz says that cooperation is the key in any job, but even more so when teaching a large group of students. While this book was originally designed for those teaching teenagers, it can easily be applied to every grade level. The book explains in detail why, how, and when cooperation should be used to improve the whole classroom experience.

5. Why Johnny Still Can’t Read by Rudolf Franz Flesch

While this book was not specifically designed for teachers, it includes all detailed exercises on phonics, reading, and sight words that has been helpful in many classrooms. Menachem Moscovitz believes that this book helps teachers help those who are having trouble reading, it is recommended for those teaching younger grades.

 

6. Parents Who Love Reading, Kids Who Don’t: How It Happens and What You Can Do About It by Mary Leonhardt

Menachem Moscovitz says that this book was designed for parents but provides teachers with valuable insight into the mind of a child. The book explains that the reason most children do not like reading is because teachers put too much emphasis on it. By stepping back and taking a much relaxed approach to reading, teachers are able to get their entire classroom enjoying more books.

9 Time-Saving Tricks for Teachers by Menachem Moscovitz

1. Grade students writing

Grading papers can be time-consuming tasks for teachers. To save yourself stress, consider not pointing out every single mistake on a student’s work. However, highlight the errors that directly align with the lesson. Create a cheat sheet with frequently-used comments from which you can easily copy and paste.

 

2. Post instructions

Do you ever feel like you are repeating yourself to students? Menachem Moscovitz believes that every teacher feels like that every once in a while. With the use of shared workflow documents like Google Docs you can post instructions for lessons and tasks in one central location students check regularly. This method can be used for tests as well as assignments.

3. Use assignment numbers

Menachem Moscovitz uses this clever trick, he says that this organizing trick will help you grade and sort papers quickly. In alphabetical order, assign each student in your classroom a number; have them write it on the upper right corner of every paper they turn in. With the papers alphabetized you can grade and record scores in your grade book.

 

4. Sticky note warnings

To deal with disruptive behavior without interrupting the class, place three large notes on the board. Every time a student acts out; quietly remove a sticky note instead of punishing the student. Once all the notes are gone, enforce a consequence, such as detention or a note home. You can easily reset this practice every day for the entire class or one to two individual students.

5. Use wall folders to check assignments

Hang folders each for one for each student in a central location you can see from your desk. Students use the folders to turn in their homework assignments when they enter the classroom. Menachem Moscovitz shares that this way you can easily see at a glance which students complete their work on time.

 

6. Manage papers in an easy way

Here are a few tricks to help control the mess:

• Schedule a block of time once a week on your calendar to declutter and file papers that are on your desk.
• Utilize a word processing program to organize and store frequently used forms.
• Designate a file drawer for each subject you teach to sort paper by topic, such as blue for tests and quizzes, etc.

7. Plan lessons online

Lesson planning sites can be powerful time-saving tools. Allow students and fellow teachers to view your plans online and adjust lessons with a single click of the mouse!

8. Get students on task

If your students take long to get settled in their seats after the bell rings, consider planning timed activities that students are expected to complete within the first 10 to 15 minutes of class. It could be a trivia contest or a question that introduces that day’s work.

 

9. Use an email template

Menachem Moscovitz says that as a modern-day teacher, you are likely spending a lot of time sending emails to students and parents on different issues and subjects. Instead of typing out the same email every time, create a standard template for each common issue that you can cut, paste quickly.