NORTH BERGEN SCHOOL DISTRICT MENTORING WORKSHOP

THE COMING CRISIS QUANTITY: 2 Million Teachers Needed Over Half will be First-Time Teachers QUALITY: Teachers Must Know and Do More Than Ever EQUITY: Shortages of Qualified Teachers will be Most Severe in High- Poverty Communities

LACK OF NEW TEACHER SUPPORT Over 44% of Teachers Had Formal Induction Programs in First Year of Teaching 22% of New Teachers Leave the Profession in the First Three Years Attrition in Urban Districts is 30% to 50% in the First Five Years of Teaching

NORMS Maintain focus on the purpose of this workshop. Engage in the activities. Note issues and concerns to be addressed. Take time to reflect on how this impacts your personal mentoring program. Organize your questions around implementation of the North Bergen School District’s mentoring program. Respect different points of view.

WHAT IS A MENTOR? When Odysseus left to fight in the Trojan War, he entrusted his family to Mentor. Mentor was faithful in his duties and served as teacher and counselor for Telemachus, son of Odysseus. Over time, “Mentor” has come to mean “trusted advisor, friend, teacher, and wise person.” History offers many examples of helpful mentor/mentoree relationships—Socrates and Plato, Haydn and Beethoven, Freud and Jung. Mentoring through teaching is more than just a transfer of knowledge. It is communicating knowledge in a way that impacts a mentoree’s life for greater service.

“Supporting new teachers is complex and demanding work, and it involves learning skills other than those that most classroom teachers possess. It is critical, therefore, that we think not only about what a new teacher needs to be successful but also what a mentor teacher needs to know and be able to do in order to support a new teacher.” Moir and Glass, New Teacher UCSC

RATIONALE Many novice teachers leave within 1-3 years because the challenges are too great. TWO-YEAR mentoring program now stands as individual ONE-YEAR program because of reduction in funding. Student achievement impacted by quality of the teaching force. The mentoring program will better prepare the novice teacher to help students meet Core Curriculum Content Standards (CCCS) and to pass the state assessments.

GOALS To enhance teacher knowledge of CCCS. To maintain excellence in teaching. To assist novice teachers in daily performance of duties.

ROLE OF THE MENTOR TEACHER The mentor teacher will support new teachers through what is often an isolating experience. The mentor assumes a variety of roles.

MENTOR TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM Workshops at various local colleges will be presented to first-time mentors at a time to be determined. Work with meeting NJCCCS (New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.)

SELECTION OF MENTOR TEACHERS Mentors must have tenure. Mentors are not appointed; they volunteer to be a mentor. Mentors will be trained via formal and informal workshops. Mentors must respect the confidentiality that develops between mentor and mentee. Mentor provides three letters of recommendation from colleagues.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MENTOR The mentor must be approachable and be willing to answer all appropriate questions. The mentor and mentee will visit each other’s classrooms for observation of teaching methods.

BENEFITS FOR THE MENTOR Mentors receive one hour towards their 100 hours professional development for each week they serve as mentors. Cap is 75 hours over 5 years. While the focus is on the mentee, the mentor will likely benefit from the re- examination of his/her teaching methods.

DISTRICT MENTORING COMMITTEES The school principal will assign mentors in an equitable manner.

MATCHING MENTOR/MENTEE PAIRS Closely related subject matter and grade level. Located near each other. Compatible ideologies.

INDIVIDUAL MENTOR PLANS (IMP) This is a set of plans for future growth of the mentee. The IMP should be based on the mentee’s PIP. The PIP should be developed between mentees and evaluator (one of the building administrators). Of course, the mentee may ask the mentor for assistance in developing his/her PIP before presenting it to the administrator. FYI: The mentor is not an evaluator.

MENTEE PORTFOLIOS It was the original intent for Portfolios to be required of SECOND-YEAR mentees. Because of financial cutbacks, the program for second-year mentees was put on hold several years ago and is still on hold. An educational portfolio is a personal collection of artifacts and reflections about one’s accomplishments, learnings, strengths, and best works. No rigid rules exist as to what or how much to include in a portfolio. Mentee should first collect and then select those things that reflect achievement of goals. Even though a portfolio is not required at this point, it is an excellent idea for a mentee to keep a portfolio.

GENERAL Keep critiques and assessments positive. Visit various websites, including: and

THE ADULT LEARNER (from M. Knowles 1980 The Modern Practice of Adult Education, Englewood Cliffs, NJ) Malcom Knowles (1980) developed the fundamentals of the theory of adult learning. The basic concept of mentor teaching is an excellent fit with this theory. Mentor teachers will work more effectively with teachers if they keep the following principles in mind:

1. Adult learners see themselves as self- directed human beings, or as growing in that direction. This means that adult learners want to feel independent or want to move from dependency to independence. Mentor teachers need to avoid making new teachers feel dependent on them, and to help new teachers move out of a dependent relationship.

2. Adult learners have many experiences that are resources for learning. This means adult learners want to draw on their own experiences for learning whenever possible. Mentor teachers need to help new teachers apply their own experiences as learners and as beginning teachers, rather than encouraging them to rely on the mentor’s experiences for learning.

3. Adult learners want to develop their ability to carry out their roles in society. This means adult learners want to be competent as workers, community members, parents, etc. Mentor teachers can assume that new teachers want to become competent teachers. If there are problems, not wanting to learn is probably not the cause.

4. The adult learner has a present-oriented time perspective. This means adult learners want to learn what will help them now. Mentor teachers need to focus on problems and concerns that exist NOW. Later issues will be dealt with later.

5. Adult learners are problem-centered. This means adults want to focus on what they need to know to solve a specific problem. Mentor teachers need to keep focus on problems the teacher—or sometimes the mentor—identifies.

6.Design elements of successful teaching of adults: Climate: respectful, collaborative, informal Planning: shared by participants Diagnosis of needs: shared by participants Formulation of objectives: negotiated by participants Evaluation: shared re-diagnosis of needs by participants; shared measurement of progress

REFLECTION 3 important things I’ve learned… 2 ideas/thoughts I would like to share with others… 1 action I will take immediately is…