Mentoring Teachers

A useful guide for teacher mentors as they face new and difficult challenges in their work New teachers often struggle to apply their knowledge in real-world settings, and the idea of mentoring these teachers during their first years in the classroom has captured the imagination of schools all over the world. Drawn from the experiences over the last twenty years of the New Teacher Center, the book illuminates the subtleties and struggles of becoming an excellent, effective mentor. The book discusses the five big tensions of mentoring: developing a new identity, developing trusting relationships, accelerating teacher growth, mentoring in challenging contexts, and learning leadership skills. Describes in-depth the most common challenges of the mentor role A wonderful guide for both new and veteran mentors Includes engaging firsthand narratives written by mentors working in a variety of settings This book is from the New Teacher Center, an organization whose highly respected mentor training model has served over 50,000 teachers nationwide. The New Teacher Center is dedicated to improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders through comprehensive mentoring and professional development programs.

Foreword vii Ellen Moir Preface xi Acknowledgments xv About the Authors xvii Introduction 1 Part One THE TENSIONS OF MENTORING TENSION ONE: Building a New Identity 9 TENSION TWO: Developing Trusting Relationships 21 TENSION THREE: Accelerating Teacher Development 35 TENSION FOUR: Mentoring in Challenging Contexts 43 TENSION FIVE: Learning Leadership Skills 51 Part Two STORIES OF MENTORING STORY ONE: The Waiting Place 65 Leslie Baldacci STORY TWO: Fired, Hired, and Inspired 81 Kathleen Aldred STORY THREE: Finding a Way 105 Mary Eldred STORY FOUR: Savior, Friend, Mentor 121 Frank Pantano Conclusion: What Can We Learn? 141 Appendix: Mentor Prompts 147 Index 155