The who-what-why of mentor teacher/graduate student relationships

The experiences in the mentor teacher/graduate student relationship have validated Clark's comment about teachers. That is, "teachers are learners as well as teachers..." The mentors have expressed that they learned a great deal about teaching and about themselves during the teaching practicum experience. Having the evaluation form available which outlined the expected behaviors of a mentor, provides enough guidance to free up their time to teach and serve as mentors. The graduate students have expressed both positive and negative comments about their teaching practicum experience. However, they also concurred with the need and usefulness of specific behaviors for mentors. The primary purpose of the mentor teacher/graduate student relationship is to facilitate the learning of how to teach. The author's definition of "teaching" in nursing education is congruent with Schweer and Gebbie's definition of teaching. That is, teaching is the facilitating or arranging of experiences within the learner's world in a way that helps him find meaning and purpose. Teaching is the act of communicating in a variety of ways with the individual or group, or both, at the actual point of the learner's experiences so that he can reach his unique potential.