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Mentoring New AP Teachers
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by Elfie Israel
Pembroke Pines Charter High School
Pembroke Pines, Florida
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That Was Then
1960: 20 years old, 100 pounds, and clutching a B.A. from Barnard. Experience: none. Knowledge of curriculum: none. Assignment: teach ninth grade gifted. Karate is not an option. Prognosis: exceptionally poor. Prescription: a devoted, understanding, patient, resourceful, and encouraging mentor. Result: unqualified success.
Forty years ago I was that novice who wanted to leave the country when I saw the IQ scores of my students. Not only were many much brighter than I, but my college curriculum looked nothing like the material I would be teaching. Having Dave Molnia as my mentor enabled me to pursue my goal of teaching in New York, the Bahamas, and Florida. Without him, I would have sunk. His spirit lives on with me and with almost 4,000 students and teachers whose lives I've touched.
Dave was a true educator and teacher, a man who fought in World War II and then attended college on the GI Bill. I remember him always smiling and optimistic. "Sure, you can do it!" he'd say. And I did. His room was my playground, and did I have fun! He taught me how to validate and affirm every student. He taught me that no question is silly (and did I have many!). He taught me that hurdles can be overcome. Not knowing is fine; not researching is criminal. Before computers, libraries were my best friend; they still are. But most of all, Dave taught me how well students respond to kindness and compassion.
This Is Now
2003: In tribute to Dave (who mentored me when I needed it most), as a gift to a profession I love, and to future students, I have mentored three AP English teachers in the last three years. The task can be overwhelming and time-consuming, but the results are more than gratifying. My goals are to help the students by helping their teachers. I can only serve as one example of how it might be done, not how it must be done. Several caveats: being observed daily, even on good hair days, can be trying. Also, because the teachers I mentor are intelligent and curious, I am constantly barraged by many "why" and "what will happen if..." questions.
I don't have the answers. But these teachers and I engage in dialog, in discussion, in wondering if and why and how. Through conversation, and even debate, we share ideas. We brainstorm. We build ideas upon other ideas. Some work, some don't. I learn and my students benefit. All my files are at the teachers' disposal (and over the years, I have filled eight brimming file cabinets, which continue to multiply).
I try to begin with the end in mind. My end is not simply preparing my students to pass a test. I strive to have them become critical, perspicacious, intellectual, questioning readers and clear and concise writers. If they achieve these goals, they will be able to analyze literature and write about it cogently.
Mentorship includes much discussion of methodology as well as curriculum. What is the best way of getting the students to understand multiple meanings without dictating these to them and making them formidable stenographers but poor thinkers? How can they better edit their own work? Bloom's taxonomy, Gardner's multiple intelligences, and Adler's "Socratic" methods are the foundation of my mentorship program.
The Process of Mentoring
Now to the nuts and bolts. The first year, the teacher I mentored gave up one of her two planning periods for the entire year and sat in on my AP English Literature classes, taking copious notes. She then replicated my lessons. We would get together about once a week to discuss what had transpired, go over essays and tests, and question the efficacy of the lessons. We were very pleased with the results. She took over the next year and began making changes in the curriculum, and now she is on her own -- though we still consult and converse.
As the year progressed, she felt more and more comfortable deviating from my path, and our relationship has evolved into one of collegial sharing.
Last year, there were two small AP English Language classes, and they were scheduled for the same period. I made all the plans, wrote the tests, and created the transparencies and PowerPoint slides, and the "newbie" and I "shared" the teaching. I would teach both groups together for much of the time. When it came to seminars, to writing workshops, and to group work, we separated the classes. I wrote the questions, but how the discussions went varied in each room. This was also successful.
This year, the two AP English Literature classes are larger, but they also meet at the same time. Once again I do the planning and much of the teaching. When the students write essays, my colleague and I score them and put the grades on separate sticky notes for discussion and comparison. This process reminds me of following cooking recipes. First faithfully follow the recipe and then make modifications.
I have created PowerPoint slides for many of the works and techniques we teach. They are mainly pictorial and actively engage the students by posing pertinent questions. These are valuable for several reasons. Absent students can access them. The teacher I am mentoring will have them for future reference. Our English department can also use them. Colleagues become aware of what and how we teach AP English courses, which helps us in our Vertical Team planning.
The AP Electronic Discussion Group (EDG) and the testing materials by the College Board are invaluable resources. So are many of the commercial books on the market.
Until three years ago, it was only at workshops and through the EDG that I had any opportunity to share ideas. I now have someone (other than my students) who asks pertinent questions, keeps me revitalized and invigorated, and challenges me.
So what am I now? Not 20, not 100 pounds, nor a novice; I am a coach, a facilitator, a cheerleader, a guide, a scholar, and a happy mentor.
Elfie Israel has been teaching for over 30 years and was an AP Reader for 7 years. She is currently in charge of professional development at Pembroke Pines Charter High School, whose population of 1,200 students is predominantly immigrant and first-generation American. Some of her other publications include "Examining Multiple Perspectives in Literature" in Inquiry and the Literary Text; Amsco's AP English Literature and Composition: Preparing for the Advanced Placement Examination; and English Journal articles "Breaking the Rules," "What Contemporary Authors Can Teach Us," and "Mastery Through Performance."
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