Building Relational Trust

March 23, 2017

• Sharing what we don't know
• Being "real" about challenges
• Being open and vulnerable - e.g., classroom observation
• Making yourself available
• Laughing together

May 11. 2016

• Seeing the positive while acknowledging real world challnges
• Sharing own challenges but also the "quiet victories" that occur each day
• Having fun
• Being vulnerable
• Being open and honest (same with students!)
• Modelling walking the talk
• Acknowledging the long path to permanent teaching and that LTOs can feel like "try outs"
• Showing genuine caring - beyond school roles
• Helping ground the person by offering perspectives from experience
• Being trustworthy and open
• Avoiding judgement
• Making yourself available

Jan 21, 2016

• Having an open door (literally and metaphorically)
• Sharing your own challenges
• Connecting early on in the relationship
• Informally connecting on an ongoing basis
• Being an active listener
• Creating a safe environment for sharing (physical environment + emotional trust)
• Honouring feelings
• Ensuring contact continues via a variety of methods (e.g., 3 / 2 / 1 tool)

More Ideas from Mentors across Ontario

Appreciative Inquiry

Themes of Success (May 11, 2016)

• Power of collaboration and co-learning
• Principal encouragement
• Open, consistent communication
• Building an open culture where it's okay not to know everything
• Investing time and sharing experiences to build the relationship
• Willingness to share
• Have a sense of humility - being humble and open to learning with colleagues

More Ideas from Lakehead DSB New Teachers & Mentors

Mitigating the Challenge of Time (stones in our shoes)

• Utilizing a variety of options (face to face and virtual) for connecting
• Planning ahead and being proactive
• Being flexible
• Establishing specific, regular times for face to face connections
• Creating a bank of skilled mentors at every school
• Using existing structures to connect (e.g. PD time)
• Begin connecting as early as possible in the school year (e.g. Sept)
• Establish an "NTIP Ambassador" in each school - could also support new to school colleagues, teacher candidates along with NTIP teachers as part of a "mentoring web"