What Time Constraints Face the Junior School Teacher Taking on the Role of Student Mentor?

ABSTRACTThis study examines the time constraints faced by the junior school teacher taking on the dual role of student mentor and class‐teacher and seeks to discover whether it is possible to fulfil both roles effectively. It begins by looking at recent developments in teacher training and considers the role of the mentor in the training of students from a local college of education. It also examines the traditional role of the class‐teacher and the current statutory conditions of employment. To discover whether there is a conflict between the two roles, a diary was maintained of all activities relating to mentoring and teaching during three selected seven‐day periods. An analysis was made of the amount of time devoted to each. This revealed that the student mentor with a full‐time class‐teaching commitment may well encounter difficulties in doing full justice to both roles at once. Where there was a conflict of interest, it tended to be the students, rather than the pupils, that suffered. The author suggests ways in which this particular mentoring scheme might be adapted to take this into account. The preferred option is for mentors to work in pairs, each supervising the other's student. It is shown how this would reduce the time pressures on the mentor and, at the same time, benefit both the class and the student teacher.