My Marvelous Mentor

With the exception of perhaps the students, the best thing about my time at WIS so far has to be the fact that I have been working with Miss Kristin Hutton as my mentoring teacher. I couldn't have asked for a better fit. Kristin began her teaching career by cutting her teeth a few years ago in some very tough vocational schools back in Ontario. She has since kicked off a career in international education and plans to travel extensively over the next few years before settling back down in Canada. Its like working with the futuristic female version of myself!

She is such an inspirational teacher in so many ways. On a pedagogical level we see completely eye to eye; she has a huge focus on current affairs, building community in the classroom, global citizenship and she hates homework. But what I am learning most working with her is about the personal side of teaching. The rapport she has with students and the way she can navigate being a nurturing and caring role-model while demanding nothing but the best from them is pretty astounding. Maybe it comes a little easier to female teachers, who knows? With out a doubt my favorite thing about her teaching is the little personalized details she injects into her lessons. She superimposes her students faces on a portrait of Karl Marx when studying political systems and surprises them with them in class . She slips them inspirational cards after particularly difficult weeks or really good assignments. She hogs up all of the school newspaper and hallway bulletin boards because she is so freakin' proud of her students' work. Ms Hutton is going to be that one teacher that so many of her students will never ever forget.

One of the things I hate about the PDPP program is the potential student-teachers have of being paired up with washed up burn-outs during their observations and practicums. In my mind, its down right criminal to be mentored by a walking bummer at this stage in your career. You know the type; they can barely wait half a school day before they break and start talking shit about the students, the faculty or 'the system' to the new comer. I am incredibly grateful for everyday I spend at WIS, working with someone who truly loves what they do.
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