Simple Advice: Get A Mentor And Learn To Teach

New faculty members, especially those in their first tenure stream assignment, enter the process needing assistance in the development of research plans, professional development plans and teaching methods. Most have been exposed to the rigors of tenure and the demands of the position; it is not until they are in the tenure race that they find it to be “difficult”. The “difficulty” of the process can be partially alleviated by developing a positive mentor relationship with an experienced faculty member. The best situation is the development of a relationship that is spontaneous, one where the mentor volunteers to work with the new faculty member. Assignment of a mentor by the responsible administrator can work if the mentor being assigned agrees to work with the new faculty member. In either case, the availability of a mentor can be very useful in the area of professional development. Learning to teach is a separate issue that can be a more difficult process. The best avenue to successful teaching is to attend a workshop, or several workshops, that discuss teaching methods, from fundamentals to advanced techniques. Becoming a better teacher will increase efficiency, assist with student evaluations, and remove one of the stressors that can make the tenure years very difficult. This paper will address the mentor process and what it can mean to new faculty members. Real cases will be illustrated to demonstrate how mentoring has helped. Similar descriptions of the process for becoming a better teacher will be illustrated. Sample cases will be described to illustrate positive results.