Teachers are most likely to quit within the first few years of entering the profession, a talent drain that hurts both individual students and entire schools. Robust mentorships in the first few years of an educator’s career can be the difference-maker between establishing a successful teaching career and having it slip away.
That’s why, as part of Education Week’s recent K-12 Essentials Forum, Start the School Year Strong: How K-12 Leaders Can Create Thriving 69´«Ã½ for Teachers and Staff, one session dove into the whys and hows of strong mentorships for early teachers. Joining us as panelists were Heather Puhl, one of three full-time mentors for the Caldwell County schools in North Carolina, and Lindsay Jonas, the coordinator of professional development for the Illinois Association of School Personnel Administrators.
During a 45-minute dialogue, Puhl and Jones offered insights and tips for districts interested in launching or tweaking a meaningful mentorship experience for new teachers.
The two expert panelists covered the following elements for creating a supportive and successful new-teacher mentorship program:
- Selecting mentors
- Developing a personal relationship with mentees
- Offering program choice
- Providing nonevaluative feedback
- Extending the mentor-mentee relationship beyond traditional roles
- Celebrating successes
- Shaping positive school culture through strong mentorship
- Investing in mentees’ to strengthen retention rates
To watch the entire session, click on the video above.