Thoughts+for+our+Interns

//Field instructors, please click the **Edit** button, **type** your comments (just add them to the list that already appears below), then click **Save**. Please post your comments anonymously and please avoid mentioning particular interns' names or schools.// user:chericem1

The thing(s) that my interns do best are . ..
I think that my interns work very well with adolescent learners. I feel that my interns are good at reflecting on their strengths and needs.

I am happy with the way most interns have bonded with their mentors.

What I really need from my interns . ..
Communication is really important. I need open, honest, and regular email communication.

I would really appreciate if interns keep their field instructors informed/updated on issues on a regular basis of which the latter is a part, or has been dealing with. This would help maintain continuity and clarity in procedure and interaction, especially where the intern, mentor and FI are directly involved.

I wish my interns understood . ..
I hope that my interns understand that it is possible through good communication to work through misunderstandings.

Other Comments
However, it concerns me at times to see that some mentors are becoming too protective about their interns. While I believe that being supportive helps the interns to get through their experience of classroom teaching with a lot of confidence, I think that all of us should understand that this is a collaborative learning experience, where everyone involved should work as a single unit. When mentors become excessively defensive about their intern's performance it might result in creating walls between intern - field-instructor relationships. I think everyone in the unit should be clear about their own and others' roles in this educating process so that we could avoid becoming factious in our attitude and actions.