Even before class had begun, my other supervisor discussed the materials I would be teaching and set clear goals for me, in terms of how the curriculum would be presented and what the students were supposed to assimilate. However, she also said that she was open to suggestions, given that every class was unique, and some students might have particular challenges or strengths that I should explore. Although she did watch me in class, she never told me what she thought of my teaching style right away, when we debriefed. "How did you think the class went today?" was her usual, first question. Then, we would go over the lesson in sections and discuss what I could have done differently or what worked. This supervisor was a true instructor -- she knew how to convey a lesson plan to a class in an effective manner, and often gave me teaching tips that enabled me to get my desired point across. She made suggestions that made my efforts more fruitful. For example, when I was trying to teach students a concept that required memorization, and asked them to recite along with me, she pointed out that some students were shy, and simply mouthing along with their friends. Having individual conferences with students and asking them to recite enabled me to target which children were still having problems, and to work with them...

However, this supervisor's goal was to make my style as an instructor work, not to impose her style upon me. Her approach could be described as constructivist in nature, or encouraging me to learn as I experienced teaching, while she prompted me and encouraged me to realize my goals. In contrast, my first supervisor was highly directive.
A good supervisor has a sense of the challenges of his or her mentor's pupils: my first supervisor did not take into consideration the fact that the class I was teaching was supposed to be fun, and encompassed a mixture of students. While my second supervisor did take into consideration my youth and inexperience in terms of the way she suggested organizational skills and pedagogical techniques, she never patronized me and understood we both wanted to help the class learn. She put my needs before her own ego, unlike my first supervisor. She also seemed genuinely interested in my perceptions of the students I was teaching. From these experiences I have learned that in a positive supervisory relationship, both the instructor and the supervisor engage in a dialogue. The exchange between supervisor and teacher should be just as dynamic, fruitful, and mutually beneficial as the discourse that occurs between student and teacher in the classroom.