Ep. 27 — Mentoring in Schools with Haili Hughes (S2E2)

Haili Hughes, an English teacher, Head of Department, teacher mentor, and author of the new book, Mentoring in Schools: How to become an expert colleague, is Tom and Emma’s guest on this episode. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode.

To start off the episode, Haili describes what inspired her to write the book. She noticed there wasn’t much literature on mentoring as a practice; nothing that bridged the theory and practice. She decided to write a book that educators could reference again and again. She also describes how she used focus groups to get teachers’ voices directly involved in developing the content. Haili also talks about the Early Career Framework, addressing the concerns some educators feel with the framework and giving her perspective on how it can be used properly.

Tom also shares a story from early in his career, describing the lack of mentoring he received , which leads into a practical discussion about how to set up mentoring in schools. How often should teachers meet with their mentors and what should they discuss? Later, Emma discusses the many hats educators wear and how trying out different roles is the best way to determine your own unique strengths. Tom, Emma and Haili also discuss the challenges educators face, their own work with schools nationwide, and much more.

Haili Hughes is an English teacher, former Head of Department and Senior Leader who has mentored new teachers and ITT students for over 10 years. Haili is author of the book Mentoring in Schools: How to become an expert colleague. You can find her on Twitter @HughesHaili

Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specializing in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. His books include Teaching WalkThrus, Rosenshine’s Principles in Action and The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook. Follow Tom on Twitter @teacherhead

Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. Turner is author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education From Our Little Learners and Let’s Talk About Flex: Flipping the flexible working narrative for education. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75