Teacher Mentoring Programs

In teacher mentoring programs, beginning teachers are paired with a more experienced teacher or, in some cases, with a team of experienced teachers, for guidance and support. Mentors are available to answer questions, observe classes, problem solve, and talk confidentially to new teachers about problems they may be facing in the classroom. The purpose of the relationship, ultimately, is not just to support the new teacher, but also to maximize his or her effectiveness in the classroom. Mentoring may occur as part of a larger induction program, or may be used separately as a means of supporting and retaining new teachers. In the absence of formal programs, mentoring may also be arranged informally between new teachers and more experienced colleagues.

Although mentoring is commonly viewed as beneficial for beginners, the practice has been criticized for its potential to "promote conventional norms and practices" (Feiman-Nemser, 1996). Feiman-Nemser points out that "few mentor teachers practice the kind of conceptually oriented, learner-centered teaching advocated by reformers." As a result, new teachers run the risk of picking up less effective approaches, and even bad habits, from their mentors. To avoid this, careful attention should be paid to training mentors and providing support for them throughout the process. Feiman-Nemser suggests pairing new teachers with mentors "who are already reformers in their schools and classrooms" or developing "collaborative contexts where mentors and novices can explore new approaches together."

Other considerations to make when pairing new teachers with mentors include:

• Avoid pairing new teachers with their department chair or other immediate supervisor; the more closely mentoring is tied to evaluation, the less willing many new teachers are to take risks and ask questions (Brock & Grady, 1998; Educational Resources Information Center, 1986).
  
• Mentors should have similar interests and outlooks on teaching (DePaul, 2000). Pairing a new teacher with a mentor who has dramatically different beliefs, or who is less than enthusiastic about teaching, is unlikely to produce an effective match.
  
• If the pool of available mentors is large enough, mentor teachers should teach the same grade level and/or subject area as their mentee (Brock & Grady, 1998; Educational Resources Information Center, 1986; Huling-Austin, 1992). Although this is not essential for a good match, it allows pairs to work more closely on curricular issues specific to the beginners' teaching assignment.
  
• Make an effort to connect teachers responsible for multiple grade levels in one content area (as is often the case in small rural schools) with teachers who have a similar load at another school. While it is important for teachers to have someone to turn to within the school building, being able to discuss the unique challenges of teaching multiple grade levels in a given content area is important, too.
  
• A good mentor should be accepting of a beginning teacher. Mentors need to see the beginning teacher as a developing professional, rather than as one who needs to be "fixed." Novice teachers need practice and good, caring guidance (Rowley, 1999).

General Guidelines:

The importance of quality support and training for mentors cannot be emphasized enough (Weiss & Weiss, 1999). Even the most effective teachers need help developing the skills required to build a successful mentoring relationship. Among other things, mentor training should include program goals and purposes, district philosophies, methods of observing and providing feedback to mentees (Halford, 1999), adult learning theories, and "how to integrate subject matter into discussions with novice teachers" (Huling-Austin, 1992).
Mentors should be paid, given release time, or otherwise rewarded for participating in the program. This makes the experience less burdensome on the mentor, and also lets mentees feel better about taking up their mentor's time (Halford, 1999).
Mentoring programs should have administrative support, adequate funding, and clear leadership (Halford, 1999). A mentor teacher should not be expected to be a "stand-in for administration," or to replace the important role principals play in guiding and assisting new teachers (Educational Resources Information Center, 1986).
Regular times for mentors and mentees to meet should be built into the school schedule. If it is not possible to provide release time to teachers in the school, consider hiring retired teachers as mentors. Some programs hire one person whose sole responsibility is to mentor a number of new teachers (DePaul, 2000).

It should be noted that mentoring programs need not be limited solely to beginning teachers. Educational assistants, school librarians, counselors, school nurses, coaches, and other new staff members can also be included in mentoring and other structured induction programs.