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Lessons Taught, Lessons Learned Vol. II
The Mentor Teacher
Program
by Judy Charles
North Slope Borough School District
The Mentor Teacher Program has been a
well-organized, well-presented opportunity for orienting new teachers
to rural schools throughout the state. It has offered a collegial
approach to staff development and interaction which includes a
process for follow-up for all participants. This program targets a
common problem for all bush schools and one that insidiously
influences many aspects of the potential for successful schools in
rural Alaska, that is, the high rate of staff turnover.
The frequency of turnover of staff in rural
schools across the state presents many problems: It all but
eliminates any sense of history or tradition-building within a
school. It subjects schools and districts to constant bouts of
reorganization. It makes implementation of many programs very
difficult. High turnover undermines continuity for school districts
and creates the problem of continuous redoing of a variety of school
related programs because of a lack of consistent methods to insure
stability of a program as individuals move on.
The Mentor Teacher Program addresses this issue
in many ways. First, it brings a team of people together from each
school. The principal participates right along with the new teacher
and the experienced mentor teacher. This involvement of the school
principal insures support for the program and ongoing recognition of
the mentor's training and ability. It provides some selection
criteria to assure that an experienced mentor teacher will be chosen.
This teacher is aware of the district's history and has an
understanding of the values and norms of the school. The teacher is
expected to be a master at using the kind of teaching methods and
curriculum ascribed by the district. Because of the longevity of most
mentor teachers, it is anticipated they will return to the district
and continue working there in the future.
New teachers are selected because they are new
- new to the district and new to rural Alaska. Many are new to the
teaching profession as well. These teachers have the advantage of
gaining knowledge from the other two team members who provide a head
start .for these new professionals.
The implementation process for any new program
in a school is critical to the potential success of that program.
Even in a program with a basically sound foundation, it is in the
process of implementation that the seeds are sown for success or
failure. Without feedback, support, and other elements that foster a
spirit of ongoing renewal, the best program can get pushed to the
back of the agenda and eventually disappear. The Mentor Teacher
Program allows the principal and the mentor teacher to identify areas
of instructional methods, classroom management, cultural awareness,
and curriculum that should be shared. It provides an initial
opportunity to inform and educate the new teacher. It offers a format
to address needs specific to that teacher and that particular
teaching situation. The program offers training that fosters
collegiality which allows for progressive learning and feedback of
necessary skills throughout the year.
New teachers secure in their knowledge of what
is expected of them, gaining credible, nonthreatening feedback on
their performance, can be much more comfortable in their jobs and may
not accumulate the frustrations that often push teachers to leave
after a short time.
At the week-long mentor workshop in Sitka
during the summer of 1988, a bonding process occurred and carried
over throughout the entire school year, allowing the teacher coming
to a new place to already have a sense of established friendships and
belonging. This initial meeting helped the new person come into the
district with some inside information and helped to lessen the sense
of isolation. This feeling of involvement from the beginning results
in teachers feeling more a part of the school and, in the end, may
influence their decision to continue at that school. Along with
expertise, the mentor teacher provides a trusted ear to allow the new
teacher to share problems and vent frustrations without fear of
recrimination.
The proactive approach to discipline and the "Catch Them Being Good" information
shared at the Sitka workshop was very appropriate to open the discussion on
the unique behaviors and
culturally related situations the new teachers would encounter in
their new jobs. New teachers want to appear competent and in control,
but they often need support and skills to avoid being insensitive in
their approaches. They are not always comfortable asking for
intervention from other teachers or the administration. Because of
this, they can isolate themselves with their problems until they are
under severe stress. The proactive approach gives a common language
to principals, new teachers, and the mentor teachers for discussions
on and solutions to problems of behavior.
The opportunity for planning a year-long
calendar of resources, contacts, and activities provides for a sense
of stability for the new teachers. They can rest assured a safety net
is in place and they will continue to have a professional confidant
in their mentor. As this trust grows through the year, it provides
the new teacher with a stronger commitment to the school.
The Mentor Teacher Program provides a model for
developmental supervision. It provides opportunities for professional
growth and leadership that is integral to the teaching process for
both new and mentor teachers. Instead of emphasizing control, the
model stresses growth. The mentor is seen as a gentle guide, not as a
strict supervisor. The two teachers work together to analyze their
own instructional situations and develop necessary competencies. This
supportive approach is one more way the Mentor Teacher Program
encourages the new teacher to feel comfortable and ready to invest a
second year in the district. It focuses on giving the mentor teacher
the chance to apply past practices and experiences to new
circumstances and avoids the practice of overloading a new teacher at
the beginning of the year with mandated methods, policies, and
curriculum.
The mentor teacher follow-up sessions provide
ongoing training for the mentor teacher. Opportunities are provided
for introspection into one's own learning modalities and a process
for reflecting on the preceding school year. There is time afforded
for issues of leadership styles and conferencing techniques, as well
as a sharing of ideas to improve the program. These sessions allow
teachers to discuss newly realized needs and question their needs of
the future.
The Mentor Teacher Program has focused on
establishing a comfort level for the new teacher. It has provided in
a nonthreatening manner the opportunity to introduce and implement
programs and priorities prescribed by the school district. It has
encouraged ownership by participating teachers, reinforcing their
efforts. As the Mentor Teacher Program expands within a school and
across the state, it will alleviate some problems inherent in rural
schools with high staff turnover.
Foreword
Ray Barnhardt
Part I *
Rural School Ideals
"My
Goodness, People Come and Go So Quickly Around
Here"
Lance C. Blackwood
Parental Involvement
in a Cross-Cultural Environment
Monte Boston
Teachers and
Administrators for Rural Alaska
Claudia Caffee
The Mentor Teacher
Program
Judy Charles
Building
Networks
Helen Eckelman
Ideal Curriculum and
Teaching Approaches for a School in Rural
Alaska
Teresa McConnell
Some Observations
Concerning Excellent Rural Alaskan Schools
Bob Moore
The Ideal Rural
Alaska Village School
Samuel Moses
From Then To Now:
The Value of Experiential Learning
Clara Carol Potterville
The Ideal
School
Jane Seaton
Toward an Integrated,
Nonlinear, Community-Oriented Curriculum
Unit
Mary Short
A Letter from
Idealogak, Alaska
Timothy Stathis
Preparing
Rural Students for the Future
Michael Stockburger
The Ideal
Rural School
Dawn Weyiouanna
Alternative
Approaches to the High School Curriculum
Mark J. Zintek
Part II *
Rural Curriculum Ideas
"Masking" the
Curriculum
Irene Bowie
On Punks and
Culture
Louise J. Britton
Literature to Meet
the Needs of Rural Students
Debra Buchanan
Reaching the Gifted
Student Via the Regular Classroom
Patricia S. Caldwell
Early Childhood Special
Education in Rural Alaska
Colleen Chinn
Technically
Speaking
Wayne Day
Process Learning
Through the School Newspaper
Marilyn Harmon
Glacier Bay
History: A Unit in Cultural Education
David Jaynes
Principals of
Technology
Brian Marsh
Here's Looking
at You and Whole Language
Susan Nugent
Inside, Outside and
all-Around: Learning to Read and Write
Mary L. Olsen
Science Across
the Curriculum
Alice Porter
Here's Looking at
You 2000 Workshop
Cheryl Severns
School-Based
Enterprises
Gerald Sheehan
King Island
Christmas: A Language Arts Unit
Christine Pearsall Villano
Using Student-Produced
Dialogues
Michael A. Wilson
We-Search and
Curriculum Integration in the Community
Sally Young
Artist's
Credits
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