JaneMentorColumn Forvilly retiredMembersChair

Cashinonexperience —someoneelse’s

One of the rewarding things about teaching for many years is that it is a continuing learning experience. Generally, each year we become better teachers—a little wiser, more knowledgeable, and skilled. There are many specific areas of that growth: materials, teaching strategies, classroom management, problem analysis, and communication skills. But, in sum, experience adds to our skill as interpreters of what we see and hear in the classroom and broadens our repertoire of appropriate solutions.

The OMEA Mentor Program makes it possible for the active teacher to cash in on some of that experience by inviting a retired music educator to visit, observe, listen, perhaps critique, work with students, or just talk shop. These mentors, who usually visit only once or twice, are retired teachers with 30 years or more in the field who welcome the opportunity to visit teachers and students. They may merely observe, listen, and critique ensembles or even work with the students. The level of involvement is up to the teacher issuing the invitation. Sometimes, just the variety of having a knowledgeable visitor in the classroom is refreshing to the teacher and interesting to the students.

If you are interested in having an experienced visitor in your classroom, you may contact the Mentor Program coordinator directly or enter your request via the OMEA website: www. oregonmusic.org

Mentor Program coordinator: Jane Forvilly (OMEA Retired Members Chair) P.O. Box 399, Noti, OR 97461 541-935-3393