Mentoring in Schools with Haili Hughes

K-12 Teachers

In this episode of Mind the Gap, Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner welcome Haili Hughes, an English teacher, Head of Department, teacher mentor, and author of the new book, Mentoring in Schools: How to become an expert colleague.

To start off the episode (1:59), Haili describes what inspired her to write the book. She noticed there wasn’t much literature on mentoring as a practice; nothing that bridged the theory and practice. She decided to write a book that educators could reference again and again. She also describes how she used focus groups to get teachers’ voices directly involved in developing the content. Haili also talks about (8:59) the Early Career Framework, addressing the concerns some educators feel with the framework and giving her perspective on how it can be used properly.

Tom also shares a story from early in his career, describing the lack of mentoring he received (15:20), which leads into a practical discussion about how to set up mentoring in schools. How often should teachers meet with their mentors and what should they discuss? Later, Emma discusses the many hats educators wear (23:30) and how trying out different roles is the best way to determine your own unique strengths. Tom, Emma and Haili also discuss the challenges educators face, their own work with schools nationwide, and much more.

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EdCircuit Staff: Author

edCircuit is a mission-based organization entirely focused on the K-20 EdTech Industry and emPowering the voices that can provide guidance and expertise in facilitating the appropriate usage of digital technology in education. Our goal is to elevate the voices of today’s innovative thought leaders and edtech experts. Subscribe to receive notifications in your inbox
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Tom Sherrington: Author

Tom Sherrington has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specializing in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. His books include Teaching WalkThrus, Rosenshine’s Principles in Action, and The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook. He regularly contributes to conferences and CPD sessions locally and nationally and works in schools and colleges across the UK and worldwide.
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Emma Turner: Author

Emma Turner joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust as the Research and CPD lead after 20 years in primary teaching. She founded ‘NewEd – Joyful CPD for early-career teachers,’ a not-for-profit approach to CPD to encourage positivity amongst the profession and help retain teachers in post. Turner is the author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education From Our Little Learners, Let’s Talk About Flex: Flipping the flexible working narrative for education, and Simplicitus: The Interconnected Primary Curriculum & Effective Subject Leadership.
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Haili Hughes: Author

Haili Hughes is an English teacher, former Head of Department and Senior Leader who has mentored new teachers and ITT students for over 10 years. She has been teaching for nearly 15 years and has enjoyed developing and supporting teachers at many different stages of their career - from Head of Department to student teacher. She is also passionate about keeping experienced staff in the classroom and helping to retain experienced teachers who may feel like they are somewhat jaded with the profession. In her spare time, she writes regular articles for the TES and other education publications and peer reviews submissions for the Chartered College of Teaching's 'Impact' journal. Haili is author of the book Mentoring in Schools: How to become an expert colleague.
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EdCircuit Staff and Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner and Haili Hughes

edCircuit is a mission-based organization entirely focused on the K-20 EdTech Industry and emPowering the voices that can provide guidance and expertise in facilitating the appropriate usage of digital technology in education. Our goal is to elevate the voices of today’s innovative thought leaders and edtech experts. Subscribe to receive notifications in your inbox