Joan Moser
July 23, 2010
A mentor knows how to stretch without insulting, affirm without flattering, release without abandoning us - Charles R. Swindoll
Have you ever tried learning something new? This summer I am learning how to use a new computer program. It is on a subject matter I have very little background knowledge of and I am learning it on a new platform, which adds another layer of difficulty to the challenge. I purchased this program over others particularly because it is touted as having wonderful tech support. This week I encountered a problem with the program, which I could not figure out. No matter what I tried -- I was stumped and finally decided it was time to put the tech support to use.
I made the call and, after explaining my dilemma to the expert, began a frustrating 45-minute session that ended with impatience and insult on the part of my "expert", and without resolving the issue on mine.
The next day I got back on the phone to try my luck again. This time I was connected with a completely different kind of expert, Omar. In the first moments of our conversation, Omar expressed kindness, patience, respect and humor. He assured me that we would be able to resolve my issue and proceeded to take over my desktop from afar (ahh, modern technology). Omar truly had previous experience with the program and platform, which allowed him to quickly resolve the issue (which much to my relief was a program problem and not operator error, as had been insinuated the previous day).
Immediately after closing out, Omar asked me to take control of the mouse and repeat the steps he just had. He acted as a guide by the side, wanting to make sure I understood the directions. After I did it, he surprised me by asking me to completely close the program out, reopen it and repeat the steps all by myself while he silently watched. When I was successful, he jubilantly praised me, which felt like a long-distance high five!
Omar's knowledge of the subject area, reassuring patience, humor and understanding of the power of guided practice is what I would call a perfect model for teaching. I told Omar this and was surprised to find out that his real heart's desire is to be a teacher. I for one, think he would be fabulous. He was a powerful reminder to me of the difference excellent instruction makes and the value of gradual release.
Omar, if you are reading this, good luck on your journey and know that my life was blessed because I was one of your students.