---

“Quality teaching is key if our students are to have a great learning experience. It’s very easy to lose students if your teaching sucks.  

The culture where you were educated and the culture where you teach can clash. I had just two minutes of mentoring before I first started teaching. I was a graduate student at another university where the focus was very much on research within the Department of Mathematics. All of the teaching assistants were brought together by our supervisor. We were each given two minutes to deliver a mock lecture. At the end of our two minutes, our supervisor handed each of us a textbook and sent us on our way. As we began teaching, we started talking amongst ourselves, supporting one another and sharing our strategies for teaching students.

I’ve been informally mentoring graduate students and post-docs for many, many years by observing them in classrooms, giving feedback and sharing what I’ve learned about teaching.  If you’re struggling, talk to someone right away. Don’t sweep things under the carpet and hope it gets better because it won’t. Everyone wants to be a good teacher and we all want our students to succeed. So reach out for advice and conversation. Know that you’re not alone. There are colleagues who will freely share what they know. Also, listen to your students, seek out constant feedback and act on what they tell you.”

Miroslav, together with David Shore, Krista Madsen and Chad Harvey, are mentors in the Faculty of Science’s New Faculty Mentoring Program. The pilot program partners 14 new teachings and tenure track faculty with established faculty. Together, they attend workshops and other sessions throughout the year. The pilot program was developed in partnership with the Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty and the MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching. New faculty will develop professional development plans, take part in the Pan-University Faculty Development Series and have the opportunity to participate in the Educator Enhancement Program.