Teaching

What can schools do to improve mentoring programs for new teachers?

Mentors

Future mentors will attend a brief informational meeting to learn about what it means to be a mentor and then undergo a brief application process. This is so the administration can get information to better match up mentors and mentees. If selected, they will attend a three day summer training for new mentors. They will be paid for their time during the summer training, but will not receive monetary compensation during the school year. Instead, they will be compensated by having a lighter class load (one less class to teach). They will be able to use that extra plan time to occasionally observe the mentee teacher or to fulfill other mentoring duties.

Mentors and mentees are encouraged to meet regularly, but a minimum of once a month. In the first few months of school, it is not uncommon to meet weekly. It is understood that the mentor must maintain confidentiality, in order for the mentoring relationship to be effective.

In-Service Orientations

Mentees and mentors will attend the new teacher orientation (held at each school two days before the returning teachers attend inservice). The orientation is for teachers who are new to the building, new to teaching, or both. The purpose will be to orient new teachers to school policies, traditions, and expectations and to answer any questions they may have. The purpose is also to build relationships and camaraderie among the new and veteran teachers. There will be two in-service orientations; one held at the beginning of the year and one in January.

Social Activities

As part of the new teacher orientation, mentors and mentees will eat at a local restaurant, compliments of the school (or the principal!). In addition, mentees are invited to participate in the school faculty/staff traditions (e.g. contribute a recipe to the school cookbook, eat out after parent-teacher conferences, potlucks, after-school barbeque, etc).

Relations With Experienced Teachers

New teachers will have the opportunity to observe master teachers in their same subject at other schools three days a year.

Social and Resource Support

It will be the school expectation that all teachers and staff reach out to new teachers. The new teachers should be invited to serve on school committees, such as the social committee, the kindness committee, the PTO, or to participate in extracurricular activities (either by coaching a school team with another teacher, by participating in a walking or exercise club, etc).

In addition, the school culture will be such that the newest teachers do not have the most challenging classes (students with major behavior issues or low test scores), in order to help ease them into teaching. The more veteran teachers will be given the more challenging classes. This is to help the retention of new teachers.

New teachers (mentees) will have the opportunity to attend a professional development conference in their first year of teaching (subsidized by the district).