Keyword for Mentors: Empathy

     My favorite assignment in senior literature class was to read "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger.  I identified with the isolation and desperation felt by Holden Caufield, not particularly because of any devastating event in my life, but simply because I was a teenager (with all the angst that implies).  When I became a middle school teacher at the tender age of 22, I vowed to read the novel every summer, so as not to forget what troubles my students may be experiencing.  I kept that promise.

     As each additional year of teaching passed, and as the age gap between me and my students increased, I found myself growing apart from the kids with whom I identified at the beginning of my career.  Gradually, I fell into the ranks of the veteran teachers - those who saw my youthful enthusiasm at 22 to be amusing.  However, I was grateful my mentors had empathy for a young girl whose ambition outweighed skill, and in whose shoes they had walked at one time.  It is, perhaps, one of the primary reasons I remained in the profession.

     If you are a mentor to a new teacher, consider reading this article.  It may refresh you in the same way "The Catcher in the Rye" helped me keep perspective with my students.  A little empathy for your protege will go a long way. . .