Developing the link
Diana says she was initially overwhelmed at the prospect of contacting Carol after that first meeting. Carol was a professional food technologist with a well developed knowledge and understanding of Technological Practice, and this was the first time that Diana was teaching Food Technology as a formal subject.
It took time for the pair to establish what help was actually required. "We both had to learn from each other," says Carol. "Diana didn't know what I knew and I didn't really understand her requirements and what she was looking for."
"I needed to develop a platform of understanding to teach the unit," says Diana. "For Carol, it was a case of working out what I needed to know and for her to put it onto language that students could understand. At times we were speaking a different languages. I would listen to Carol's explanation on something, then go away and make up a resource; then I would come back to her and say: 'Is this what you meant?'"
"At the beginning,' says Carol, "my relationship with Diana was very formal and professional. Diana would ask me to do a specific task, and I would come in for an hour do it and leave. I think we could both see the potential for more interaction, but I was hesitant to be too pushy and Diana was hesitant to ask too much of my time."
To establish and maintain a good long-standing teacher/mentor relationship requires good communication and the ability to adapt one's programming, Diana says. "The main thing as a teacher is to be honest in what you want to get out of it, and to be appreciative of any help given."
"You don't build relationships with a couple of visits,' says Carol. "And, of course, the teacher and the mentor have got to get along or it's not going to go anywhere. Mutual trust is important. A teacher shouldn't feel threatened. Nobody is judging them. Nobody is going to say 'gosh, she should know this'. I knew Diana didn't know some things, but that was the whole point of my being there. We were both working towards the same goal: a better Food Technology project in Diana's classroom. As long we kept that in mind we knew where we were going."
