6 Comments

  1. ataramona

    Patricia, I found that all of your information was important and relevant to problems that we are facing in all schools. It is crucial that we define the exact duties for new teachers as well as for new mentors. I have personally experienced working in an environment where my duties were not explained nor was my position properly explained to the people I was working it. The lack of communication and organization caused misunderstandings and conflicts that could have been avoided. This being said, I found that your paper mentioned the difficulties that are faced by new employees as well as new mentors. I am interested to hear how the one-year mentor program at Southern High School will be received and implemented.

  2. amiller17

    With the rate of teacher turn over at a consistent rate over the last few years, I have been wondering if a mentoring program is an answer. Your paper described great things that a mentoring program can do for a school. The value of having teachers who have been working at the school for years and can help with the ins and outs of the school itself and the events that are happening. I believe that if we take out the piece of helping with lessons or classroom management, it removes the possibility of one teacher feeling that another is “better” than her. Fostering relationship building can contribute to a healthy campus climate. I love the letter idea and hope to use something like it.

  3. afragoso

    This topic can be relevant in any work force. I’ve been a mentie and a mentor, both of which have helped me grow. It is important to help new teachers or employees learn the rops and help them within their first year there. It’s good to hear that Southern High School saw a problem, investigated and then created a soultion.

  4. mcuervoybennet

    Reading about some of the research you gathered is super relevant in education or any profession, really. I know burnout is a common issue for teachers and should be tackled in an efficient way. Because the research proves to increase retention rates, I’m surprised more schools don’t implement mentorship programs. The Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning brought in the neat concept of utilizing veteran teachers. Rather than turning to teachers who are already overworked and lacking time, veteran teachers who are not currently teaching is an awesome alternative! I also thought it was interesting to note that mentorship programs were better received in the 21-26 demographic than the early thirties.

  5. mlopez100

    Teacher turnover is a problem that many of our Catholic Schools are facing. I think a mentor program is an excellent idea. The research you shared pointed out important factors on why it is crucial for schools to implement a mentor program. I wonder if this is something that be implemented on a larger scale, meaning that the Archdiocese could create something across campuses to utilize? A quote that resonated with me states, “Our students are losing too many great teachers with the passion to teach too soon due to foreseen and fixable issue” (p. 12). It is so true. The steps you share for the High School to implement for the first years seems to be something that some of our schools could use as a guide. I would be interested to find out how the program worked for the High School and what worked and didn’t work so that those considering a mentor program could make adjustments or take suggestions for a future program.

  6. jzibluk

    I think this concept is really cool. As someone who mentored middle school kids during my undergraduate, I’ve always thought of mentors as those who worked with the students to help them succeed. I never gave consideration to the idea that there could be those who stayed with the teachers and ensured that they acquired the skills they need to work within a classroom.

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