Since I am in college acquiring an education for elementary learning, I found the crossroads of creativity to be extremely relevant to the journey of my life. “We understand of our necessity for the guidance and support of a model, a mentor, an elder- someone who has the capacity to maintain us on the course from ‘At the crossroads’.” This is a point in life in which we frequently become stuck, and the support from a mentor could maintain us on course of our own path. I feel that in my life I have several mentors who support and guide me on the course of my journey. The biggest mentor in my life is my Mom seconded by the teachers I have had earlier. Throughout my college career there have been times that I desired to give up and end trying due to the entire stress it was giving me. However, my mentors supported and guided me through it. I realized that at times college may be demanding even though acquiring a degree in conclusion is worth it. Owing to the support of my mentors through the hard days I will have the job I desire sooner or later.
“To get at the crossroads and journey on to creativity, it takes an undue amount of commitment and energy.” That is my dearest quote from the chapter since I find it to be extremely eye-opening and contains great level of truth behind it. Life is not simple since there will be times in which it appears as if you have fallen and will not be capable to pick yourself up once more. That is the reason mentors in life are very significant. To do well in life, one has to have a mentor for the purpose of guidance. Throughout my life my mom has been my mentor since anytime I need advice on something she is always the first person to call. Since she operates an in-home daycare she at all times has great advice and tips for me as someone joining the Elementary Education field. A lot of ups and downs come with being in classroom wherein some days are great and others awful. In case I ever experience a bad teaching day within the classroom, my mom is at all times there to guide me. Mentors are persons who prod you on the course of life’s journey and this is precisely what my mom does for me.
The most outstanding part that stood when reading this chapter is on page 86 where Cousineau states, “The mentor’s job is to show up and tell the truth.” The quote drew my attention given that one’s mentor in life might not utter things you desire to hear. For instance, I may have a truly bad day and protest to my mom regarding whatever occurred. In such a scenario she could state that I am overstretching. This is not what I desire to listen to, but it is what an excellent mentor must do. In my view, a good mentor is a person who will constantly tell the truth regardless of how much it may hurt given that it will assist you in the end. To go on down that path of creativity, people have to pay attention to the truth. This causes me to think of another mentor I have had in my life and it is a tutor I had for my level 2 field experience. There are different levels within the education sector and every level advances a little more up to level 4, which is learner teaching. As a pre-service teacher, my level 2 field experience coordinator was a good mentor in my life.
The coordinator was a mentor in my life since she directed me along the course of my level 2 teaching experience because I was obligated to offer 2 lessons for the experience. She would be present in every lesson watching me teach each lesson. Afterward she would provide meaningful feedback regarding my teaching. Occasionally the feedback and comments from my lesson were not good and that could be disappointing. Everyone wants to consider themselves as perfect although this is not the case and there is a room for improvement always. I could have spent hours perfectly on my lesson and practice it several times but I had to comprehend that it takes time to gain an excellent feeling for teaching the lesson in the presence of a class packed with learners. One of the greatest tests that come with teaching is the aspect of classroom management. Even knowledgeable educators cannot plan for what their class would be like every day since each day is dissimilar. This is the point at which my mentor came in since she had the ability to guide me to fix matters throughout to develop into a better educator.
Another quote that I liked from the reading is, “The willingness to learn, to be curious, and always to be humble enough to seek out teachers is apparent in everyone who grows in their work.” I may have all these great mentors in my life, but I as well have to have the readiness to learn and search for help when necessary. I cannot simply sit back and anticipate my mentors will show up to check on me. They could do this but to have a fruitful journey to creativity, I have to manage my own learning. Revisiting my level 2 field experience, if I ever had a query, I always asked. I intend to become a great educator someday who my learners will love and regard; thus, I ask as many queries along the course as I can to my educators. The majority of my tutors hold various years of experience with functioning with children hence they are excellent mentors to have as a pre-service instructor.
I found an article online regarding 5 kinds of mentors every person must have throughout their life. Not just can we employ a mentor, but this piece of writing states that we can entirely use 5 mentors. I believed this connected very well to this chapter given that because it discusses the significance of mentors. “The excellent mentors may assist us describe and express our inner calling.” This is extremely comparable to what the chapter says. Not just do mentors assist direct us on our journey of life but they as well assist define us. The anchor mentor is one of the mentors the article discusses. This individual does not need to work within your industry; they could be a family member or a friend. In my life, I feel the anchor mentor is my mom. She is not an educator by career but she does know much regarding working with children given that she manages a daycare. The anchor assists us up through difficulty times, which is precisely the manner I see my mom.
The master of craft mentor is another mentor discussed within the article. This individual has experienced several years of experience within the study field you intend be in. If you desire to be the finest within your field, then you have to talk to persons who have much knowledge within the field. From my personal experience, this would be any tutor with numerous years of experience in teaching. This individual is someone one can consult when in need of counsel since they will possibly know precisely what to assert to assist guide you within the right course. The chapter asserts, “No man is wise enough by himself.” I desire to end on this since I think it is a very influential statement to conclude on. If you desire to have a fruitful life’s journey, it is good to ensure you have mentors in life to support and direct you.