October 2021
October's Marigolds Are...
Mentor Jojo Manosa and
New Teacher Renae Miller!
Each month, New Teacher Support highlights mentor-mentee pairs or administrator teams who represent the type of work that builds educator resilience and provides the support new teachers need and deserve in their first years of teaching. Due to our unique year, we got a bit of a late start in sharing this work this year. But we refused to let that completely deter us and we're looking forward to a lot of celebrating from now until the end of the school year!
Read on for a chance to get to know this month's recipients as we continue to nurture and grow our Marigold Community!
Meet Mentor Jojo Manosa
Tell us a bit about yourself (personal, where/what you teach, what drew you to this profession, how long mentoring)
I am Jose Manosa, but everyone (including the students) calls me Jojo. I am originally from the Philippines, have been teaching for 17 years, and my biggest influences are my mom and really the people that have helped me get my life in gear. The reason I started mentoring is to try to give back all the blessings I’ve received to new teachers that may need the help to get started.
What do you like best about mentoring? Do you have a favorite mentoring moment you’d like to share?
The best part about mentoring is knowing that I have helped someone. There are times where I feel I can do better and I make sure that I really look for solutions to best help the new teacher’s needs. When I see the person happy and thankful - that is when I finally feel at ease.
This month’s habit is Be Here Now. In her book Onward, Elena says “Learning to be in the present moment, without judging it, boosts our resilience. It can allow us to feel accepted and clear-headed about our options for response.” So our question for you is this:
In those moments of high stress (a student is blowing out, you just had the worst mentoring session ever, you had one more thing added to your plate) how do you hit your internal pause button? What is your “go-to '' way, inside those hard moments, to allow yourself the opportunity to stop, catch your breath, and regain perspective before responding and acting? How does this strategy help you in your day-to-day interactions as an educator? As a mentor?
Whenever I have a rough day, I clock off at 4 PM regardless of whether I’ve finished prepping for the following day or not. I head straight to the gym and focus on myself physically and mentally. I feel it’s the closest thing to someone redirecting me. In the same manner, I suppose, how we redirect in the classroom. When in the classroom and students are displaying behaviors, we need to pick the one that most impedes their learning and address it. Sort of picking the battles. There are also moments, however, when I need to step away and have a para step in. This gives me time to reset and come back with a fresh approach thereafter. As a mentor, by really listening to the new teacher, I can avoid communication that I feel will not benefit the conversation.
Humor is this month’s disposition. Elena says “Laughter is grounding. When we laugh at ourselves, we don’t take ourselves as seriously. When we laugh with others, humor breaks down barriers, brings us onto common ground, and builds our resilience.”
So our question for you is this: How does humor show up in the work you do as a teacher and a mentor?
I agree that “when we laugh with others...it builds our resilience.” There are many times in our classroom that laughter becomes a common presence during discussion. It keeps things light, students engaged, and most of all everyone on the same page. When students are not stressed but actively engaging, it is perhaps the best opportunity to teach them new material. Maintaining that learning environment becomes possible when all players are happy and willing to accept the new concepts and ideas. In addition, challenges become attainable especially when everyone works together.
Meet New Teacher Renae Miller
Tell us a bit about yourself (personal, where/what you teach, what drew you to this profession)
My first job with a regular paycheck was as a swim instructor aide. I fell in love with teaching people new skills. Nothing is better than seeing someone who was struggling realizing that they have a new skill. I love that look of accomplishment and pride that takes over the student.
What do you like best about teaching so far? Do you have a favorite teaching moment you’d like to share?
I love it when a student who wasn’t engaged is now doing the work. I love the occasional surprise thank you notes or drawings that students have made for me. Those both fall under building a relationship of trust so that a student can grow; that is my favorite part.
This month’s habit is Be Here Now. In her book Onward, Elena says “Learning to be in the present moment, without judging it, boosts our resilience. It can allow us to feel accepted and clear-headed about our options for response.” So our question for you is this:
In those moments of high stress (a student is blowing out, you just had the worst mentoring session ever, you had one more thing added to your plate) how do you hit your internal pause button? What is your “go-to '' way, inside those hard moments, to allow yourself the opportunity to stop, catch your breath, and regain perspective before responding and acting? How does this strategy help you in your day-to-day interactions as an educator?
When a stressful moment is happening, I pause until I can think clearly. I take a few breaths and try to remember that the situation is probably not about me. I try to put myself in the other person’s shoes. For example, I had a student who was refusing to do the work. The student was usually approachable enough and engaged enough. I put myself in the student’s shoes for a moment and was able to see that another situation was making it so that the student was overwhelmed. This is a tame example, but 99% of the time if someone is worked up, it’s not because of anything I’ve done. I can’t resolve the issue except by trying to help the student become grounded and generally de-escalating the issue. In whatever way the issue is manifesting itself, usually, the student needs love and understanding.
Humor is this month’s disposition. Elena says “Laughter is grounding. When we laugh at ourselves, we don’t take ourselves as seriously. When we laugh with others, humor breaks down barriers, brings us onto common ground, and builds our resilience.”
So our question for you is this: What is the funniest thing that has happened to you as a teacher? How did the ability to laugh at yourself or the situation help you maintain perspective and learn from the experience?
The funniest thing that has happened to me as a teacher was during my morning question (a question each student answers). One student was the mc; He asked my question to the other students, “What is something beautiful that you’ve seen in nature.” The high school students answered, “sunset,” “butterflies,” “trees,” and “the ocean.” The next student answered, “deer mating.” Mic drop! I tried to say, “That is beautiful,” but couldn’t help laughing as I explained what “mating” means to the other students who didn’t know. The awkwardness of the situation and the need to validate the student who gave the answer made it even more hilarious.