LEAven Blog
Who Helped You?
Whether you are a fairly new educator or one with many years of experience, you likely have people who have inspired and mentored you (either officially or unofficially) in your career. Take a moment and think of these people. What were the key attributes of the contribution they shared with you? What did you learn from them about serving in ministry? How did your relationship with them begin?
We all need to feel valued as part of a community, and strong connections and mentorship play a significant role in the success of any educator, at any age. God has given each of us gifts – gifts to use to grow others in their ministry. In reality, we all need someone to step in and cheerlead us at times. These moments of encouragement fuel us to keep serving when days seem impossible.
Mentorship in our Lutheran Schools is a quiet but essential influence for the raising up of future generations of faith-filled workers. While one element of this mentorship is clearly present in the direct teaching and instruction of students by our teaching faculty, so much of the lasting impact of mentorship in a school setting arises in a less formal fashion. Consider all the ways in which mentorship smooths out the bumps of difficult chapters of life – chapters filled with uncertainty and change. Mentorship opportunities are areas of fertile ground for sustainable community impact; these are areas that often arise at little-to-no cost on an annual budget.
Some of the most impactful approaches seen across our school network include mentoring teachers who are new to our school communities and mentoring families who are joining the new work/life rhythm in our school setting. Small, yet intentional steps to support mentorship can be big difference-makers for growth and connection. Can you recall the last time you were truly new in your work or school setting?  Nearly everyone in a ‘new’ environment is predisposed to a learning curve filled with challenges that add unwelcome stress that interferes with our ability to strive in our God-given callings. How can we recognize these challenges as opportunities instead? Mentor partnerships between veteran staff members and new teachers are, in essence, culture-promoting and synergistic!
As the whole landscape of education faces challenges in teacher recruitment and retention, we find encouragement in hearing success stories from other mentorship initiatives that appear to have a meaningful impact on turning our ‘new people’ into future veterans. (1) We find our greatest satisfaction in carrying on the pattern of mentor discipleship, as demonstrated by Paul and his work with the early church. (1st Corinthians 11:1). Let us continue to be proactive and deliberate in our raising up of the next generation, above and beyond their graduations and first years of service, so that we might thrive in Christian community for the sake of our staff, students, and most importantly – the sharing of the Gospel in our classrooms!
Lutheran schools continue to serve on the front lines of ministry and service to communities and families. Lutheran schools have existed for so many years because of the investment people put into their ministries. Thank you for your service. Thank you for helping others – students and colleagues, alike!
1 Drake, G. (2023, September 14). Investing in new teacher orientation and mentoring can produce long-term benefits. National Council on Teacher Quality. https://www.nctq.org/research-insights/investing-in-new-teacher-orientation-and-mentoring-can-produce-long-term-benefits/
Dr. Drew Gerdes – Early Childhood Program Director and Dr. David Rindt – Secondary Level Program Director, Concordia University, Nebraska co-authored this blog.
