One of the most important things I have learned from this program is how crucial the peer mentor relationship can be. It is not often we are faced with the opportunity to ask for feedback from our peers especially in the field of education where time is limited. Setting up a professional learning community (PLC) can allow us as educators who learn from each other, bounce ideas off of other educators, and truly understand the impact of our teaching with regards to our intent.
Without the establishment of a PLC we often become complacent with our lessons. We struggle to develop new and creative ways to present and lesson and therefore revert to what "works." By establishing a PLC we are able to collaborate and utilize peer observations to develop a learning community where new knowledge and skills are shared. When we work to share information we are often able to create new and exciting ideas that help the teacher as well as the student succeed. We as teachers show a greater ability to be flexible, open-minded, and understanding of how our lessons affect our students and peers. It not only creates a great classroom for the teacher, but for the students as well as they are further encouraged to share their ideas empowering them to share with their peers and show what knowledge they have as students.