MENTORING NEW TEACHERS

(ProQuest Information and Learning: ... denotes obscured text omitted.)

The Erie, Huron, Ottawa Vocational Education (EHOVE) Career Center in Milan, Ohio, was and continues to be at the forefront of creating a strong and effective mentoring program for new teachers. Initiated by Superintendent

The program of support is provided through various components including, but not limited to, an orientation, a mentoring relationship, a committee support team, opportunities for peer classroom observations, professional development and other interactive activities.

The program's greatest strength lies ... the fact that it seeks to provide the ... with a resource for all contingencies while helping them build a professional career that results in higher achievement for all EHOVE students. It is an ever-changing program that reflects evolution in regard to teacher needs, building on successes and learning from deficiencies.

The Plan

With the green light from the administration to put together a mentor program, Kleindienst quickly assembled a team of teachers and administrators to begin developing a format to train new teachers at EHOVE.

Kleindienst feels "that it is of vital importance that the mentor, as a support person, becomes knowledgeable and skillful in the observation and conferencing processes."

The mentoring program is a complex process that involves support, assistance and guidance but not evaluation of the mentee. In order for the program to succeed, the mentors must establish a positive rapport and level of trust with their entry-level teachers. They must practice the skills of an effective teacher and implement appropriate methods of classroom management and discipline. Applications are completed by prospective mentors before being accepted into the mentoring program.

The goals of the mentoring program are simple. EHOVE plans to enhance the performance of all new teachers by facilitating their transfer of knowledge gained from their coursework and inservice training into appropriate teaching practices. Those entering from industry will have their business skills enhanced by learning appropriate teaching techniques. It also intends to increase the opportunity for new teachers to experience success through utilization of the support system.

The program is structured to reflect the philosophy, goals and foundations of a quality educator. Professional development at EHOVE is congruent with performance-based assessment. Kleindienst believes that each mentor should teach at the same grade level/subject area as the mentee whenever possible, and that each mentor has one, and only one, mentee.

A database is maintained with information on possible mentors to build capacity and to assist in the decision-making process of pairing mentor and mentee. The mentors serve for only one year but may be recruited for a second or third year, since those joining the staff directly from industry and taking the vocational track for teacher certification may take three years. Mentor compensation may be stipends determined by the administration and/or other means such as release time, reduced supplemental responsibilities, same planning period and other creative ways to access time.

Before School Starts

The mentoring process starts before the school year commences, usually in late August. It begins with an invitation from the mentor committee to all new teachers to attend a daylong seminar with staff members and administrators jointly providing background material for the mentees' labs or classrooms. This is done in a creative fashion with a scavenger hunt to get the mentees comfortable with the campus setting at EHOVE.

The day starts with an address from DeRose, which coveys that support for this program and the mentor-mentee relationship starts at the top with the administration. He presents the mentees with an EHOVE canvas bag to be used to gather all of their scavenger items. Name tags are provided for all staff, and the mentees are given a staff book that includes pictures and information about anybody and everybody on the EHOVE payroll, including the cafeteria staff and the warehouse personnel. This becomes a very useful resource in the early weeks of school.

Mentees are also given time to get familiar with the school's computers. Short, effective lessons regarding grades, e-mail, phone systems, discipline procedures, reward systems, classroom cleaning and EHOVE specific programs are presented by different staff members, administrators, secretaries and custodians. Each presenter gives the mentee "something" from his or her area to hopefully enrich the mentee's year.

All new mentees also meet their assigned mentors with whom they will work throughout the year, completing various assigned activities that include a "heads up" list of monthly upcoming school events given the month before they occur. If at all possible, the mentors attend the daylong orientation with their mentees. Lunch is a social interaction with all of the day's presenters available to answer any questions or concerns. Additionally, the cafeteria manager explains the procedures of the lunchroom.

During the First Year

Mentors and mentees set up times to meet either before or after the school day or during conference times. There are predetermined lists for the mentor to review with the mentee for each month. The subjects cover the basics, such as classroom management, curriculum (including course of study and standards), grading policies and safety procedures for labs, as well as fire and tornado drills.

Another great strength of EHOVE's program is that it goes beyond the basics and looks at what resources will make this new teacher a great teacher. The monthly checklists cover myriad items that might be overlooked at other schools. Examples from the August list include how to get materials for the classroom, how to sign in, the attendance and code of conduct at EHOVE, school policies, and a host of other items that were addressed in the orientation seminar but are reviewed to be sure that the mentee has an increased comfort level from day one of school.

Kleindienst and the current lead mentor, Joyce Leimbach, spend the year making visits to both mentors and mentees individually, as well as planning and chairing several meetings throughout the school year where all mentees and mentors meet to discuss progress and voice concerns. These meetings are generally held after school in the Young Chef Inn, a campus restaurant run by the students in the culinary program. Snacks are provided, and the setting conveys the impression that these mentees are valued staff members and their input is listened to and noted.

At the six-week point, a meeting is held where each mentee completes a "Teacher Needs Assessment." The results of these assessments and needs are noted by mentors and/or administrators as well as the lead mentor and are used to "drive" the meetings for the remainder of the year.

The Future

Both DeRose and Kleindienst envision a mentoring program that "will provide continuous professional development coupled with mentor support to raise student achievement."

Realizing that some of the needs expressed by the mentees were also those of the entire teaching staff, the Mentor Committee partnered with various departments to provide innovative programs for the entire staff. A further outgrowth has been the development of the Mentor Resource Support Cadre, a group of teachers charged with helping other teachers succeed.

The Mentor Resource Support Cadre uses a variety of methods to achieve its goals.

* Mentoring permits teachers and administrators new to the career center, and some who are new to the teaching profession, to receive special support from a colleague who has particular expertise to share. This occurs over a year with direct application to classroom activities.

* Networking permits cadre members to help connect teachers with common interests and concerns to share insights and seek solutions to problems.

* Peer Coaching is used by the cadre to provide school-based support for teachers as they begin to implement skills and strategies learned in training sessions.

* Professional consultants work with cadre members to create teacher trainers (Train the Trainer) who serve as resources for others within the career center.

* Reflective Practice permits cadre members, new teachers, veteran teachers and administrators the opportunity to contemplate their own teaching as well as the teaching and learning of others.

The spirit of teachers helping teachers, new and veteran, has enhanced instruction and subsequently improved student performance and achievement. From matching the right mentor with a mentee to utilizing the strengths of all staff members, this program has grown to a schoolwide initiative.

Mentee Taylor's highest praise sums it up well: "After teaching here a full year, I believe I am not only a better teacher, but a better person, largely due to the guidance provided through the mentoring program."