To Coach or to Mentor? That is the question

I had a hard time training as a teacher, fact. It is only until recently however that I realised the reason it was so hard was down to me. My preconceived ideas of what I could achieve meant that I ended my degree feeling disillusioned. I loved working with children however I felt bitter and I felt I had to prove others wrong.  

My pupils still received the very best of me, just a slightly jaded version. This level of honesty and reflection would not have occurred nearly three years ago when I left teaching. Coaching and mentoring has helped me become a better person, a better teacher. Now I’ve returned to the classroom I can’t help but wonder what coaching and mentoring opportunities are there for our students? If these processes that have helped me (and many other adults) are available, readily, to our young people? Are they in your schools already?

Coaching

A journey… a path of self-discovery… a sustained process of self-analysis… however you look at it, coaching has to involve ownership and reflection. It requires honesty and determination from the coachee, the participant. The coach is there to actively listen, to guide the participant through their own thinking and ensure that they remain solutions-focussed. A growth mind-set is key to making the coaching journey relatively painless, exciting rather than daunting. A space for them to think, explore and not be judged. 

Do we provide such endless opportunities for our pupils? Is it possible to coach and teach them alongside one another? How would it work in your school?

• Highlight the pupil/s you think would benefit most from coaching e.g. could be a pupil with low self-esteem, attendance and punctuality issues, not achieving their full potential… 

• Match that pupil to a coach, often it’s best for it not to be their class teacher as this could create barriers when the student is trying to be open and reflecting on their learning. Students could create coaching groups, a space where they coach one another and share ideas – this could help any pupils with particular social difficulties. Or it could be 1:1.

• Agree on an area of focus – is it their grades in Maths? Their attendance? Although it is a reflective process, open-ended, it helps to establish a goal together, especially when working with students and not adults…

• Have the student keep a reflection log, like many student teachers do.

• Ensure regular catch-up’s happen where the pupil and the coach can go through their reflection logs and discuss – these are important and non-negotiable.

• Monitor the pupil across all of their classes – are there any improvements in attitude? Self-belief? 

• A celebration at the end of the coaching agreement? Presentation to tell others about how it’s helped them?

• Remember to always ask the student what they think! They are vital to this being a success, if something isn’t working then fix it! Don’t get hung up on what you think it should be…

Mentoring

Another journey, one that often starts when you enter a new phase in your life. It too requires trust but in a different way. A mentee trusts their mentor to provide words of wisdom, opportunities to reflect and a space for them to discuss together how the mentee can get from A to B. Often a mentor is seen successful at their role, they have the potential to be a role model.  

• Again, identify key pupils that this mentoring process would benefit the most.

• Are you having older students mentoring? Teachers? Successful peers? It’s important to think about which mentor may have the most impact and sometimes that involves moving egos aside. 

• Implement a ‘mentoring curriculum’, an initial meeting for mentor/mentee to discuss goals, progress catch-ups throughout an agreed time span, reflections from both parties and an opportunity to review and build on previous targets.

• Reflect, review and amend whenever needed.

• Ensure there is somebody who oversees the process and asks both parties how they feel it is going – honesty is key from all involved… 

The benefits of both? TLC. Some students need it more than others, for whatever reason and unfortunately it can often feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, week and year. Don’t let that pupil fall under the radar. 

Mentoring and coaching are empowering. They provide a space for that person to solely focus on themselves, quite often something we assume all students get but sadly don’t. They foster strong relationships between peers and staff. 

In a world of increasing pressure, building such reflective skills and developing a young person’s identity – them knowing their key strengths and weaknesses, how to improve – is critical to ensuring they can cope with whatever life throws at them! If it’s helped me cope with the chaos of the classroom then I’m pretty sure it can help our young people too!

Learn why Science Teacher, Maria, plans to teach for the rest of her life.