“I’ve been thinking about this word, ‘mentor’ and ‘mentorship’.” I told her over the phone. “I’ve been doing some planning with a few teachers and it’s through the conversations, the sharing of approaches and observations, that we create meaningful learning experiences.” I suggested an alternative to “mentor”. She listened, and said, “Yes. I’m writing that down – planning partners.”

I had just spent an hour and a half with a teaching friend who I met on social media, who teaches in another board, who is many years my junior, but who has students and equity and creativity at the center of her practice – Tu Vuong embodies the dedicated teacher who continues to create, write, and collaborate. She invited me to plan with her and I jumped at the offer knowing that this conversation would allow me to continue participating through an alternative mode of creative expression.

Over lattes, we began with discussions of context, the school, the challenges both personal and social in the environment. At first, she attempted to push aside the issues of concern, as if she did not want to burden me or encumber the time together. But, I felt this clearing could be critical to my understanding and part of the planning, so I encouraged conversation and listened probing gently. Afterwards, I thought about the very important need to process our experience through conversation and the reality that teaching contains volumes of human interactions each day which often go unprocessed, uncovered, and unresolved in our minds.

I also have another planning partner, Tobi. And, I am continually inspired by her creativity, her tenacity in the face of challenges, and her willingness to constantly revise and reiterate in response to the students she has in front of her. We talk about “planning for retirement” and I think we can overplan our lives; there is the plan, and then there is the reality and the heartbreak that comes at the end of any relationship. Tobi has allowed me to touch back into the classroom and this slow release to another season of life in retirement has been made all the better through these planning partnerships.

I’m not sure about the need to change the term “mentors”, but I do know that partners in teaching are essential.