The E-Mentee Guide to Beginning Teaching Success Welcome to the Project REACH E-Mentorship

What an Exciting Time! Regardless of whether you have had previous teaching experience or no experience at all, every year and every experience brings a new challenge. You are probably looking forward to these challenges with both eager anticipation and some anxiety. What will my new students be like? What will they expect from me?

You Have Accepted a Special Challenge! To work with students in a high need setting who will have a variety of learning preferences and needs.

Now you are the lead teacher in your classroom! What are some of the tasks you face? Learning about school policies and procedures Learning about your community and students Locating instructional resources Planning your instructional program Planning your rules, routines, and procedures Planning your classroom arrangement Creating bulletin boards and other instructional displays Welcoming your students and their parents.

Project REACH is Here to Help! The E-Mentorship Provides: Personal support and coaching Task-related assistance/advice Opportunities to continue professional development Opportunities to reflect on teaching practices and receive feedback Problem related assistance/advice

How is This Accomplished? Through interactive communication with an E-Mentor By sharing and discussing best practices with other E-Mentees and E- Mentors By asking questions and participating in discussions about current education practices and issues By participating in professional development activities

Your Agenda is Our Agenda Complete the E-Mentee profile. This tells your E-Mentor what is important to you. Communicate your professional goals. Communicate your needs. Your E-Mentor can help you begin the school year, develop the instructional program, create classroom management tools, assist with parent communication, and answer questions throughout the year. Share issues and reflections that are important to you. There are no assignments- just weekly communication based on a teaching journal, artifacts that you create, informal and formal site observations, or any other professional activity.

By the End of the E-Mentorship Year: E-Mentees have a variety of tools that demonstrate professional experiences and goals E-Mentees can update their professional portfolios E-Mentees have the confidence to continue to build on professional practice E-Mentees see themselves as career educators.

Project REACH Agrees To: Provide appropriate professional support during the mentorship year Maintain the privacy and confidentiality of E-Mentee personal information and academic records Provide a safe and secure online environment

E-Mentorship Goal 1: To establish effective E-Mentee communication. The E-Mentee will demonstrate effective E- technology competencies. The E-Mentee will share professional background/personal interests with the Mentorship Coordinator and E-Mentor. The E-Mentee will communicate with the E- Mentor weekly. The E-Mentee will network with other Project REACH professionals. The E-Mentee will request guidance and support from the Mentorship Coordinator.

E-Mentee Goal 2: To increase opportunities for professional support. The E-Mentee will complete an online profile indicating an interest in professional support. The E-Mentee will communicate areas of strength. The E-Mentee will communicate areas for refinement. The E-Mentee will communicate interest in professional growth opportunities.

E-Mentee Goal 3: To increase opportunities for professional growth. The E-Mentee will use the College of Education Program Standards to identify areas for short-term and long-term professional development. The E-Mentee will self evaluate and reflect on professional practices. The E-Mentee will describe his/her specific accomplishments with high-needs populations. The E-Mentee will identify strengths and areas for refinement from both informal and formal evaluations of professional practice. The E-Mentee will participate in opportunities to share best practices and receive assistance in Project REACH newsgroups. The E-Mentee will access and use online resources to support classroom activities.

E-Mentee Goal 4: The E-Mentee will demonstrate interest in the profession of teaching as a long- term career. The E-Mentee will identify accomplishments during the mentorship. The E-Mentee will maintain a professional portfolio of artifacts that demonstrate professional competencies during the E- Mentorship year. The E-Mentee will formulate both long range and short range goals at the end of the first year. The E-Mentee will state a desire to continue working with high-needs populations.

To Begin the E-Mentorship Secure employment as an Emergency Certified lead Teacher of Record or graduate from the MAED/TED or MAED/SPE program Submit a copy of your certification/licensure Obtain a lead teacher position with a Project REACH approved high need LEA/school in your area of training Submit the Employment Verification form Complete the E-Mentorship application, contract, and profile online

The Next Steps Receive notification of your E-Mentor Share a short autobiography with your E-Mentor and other participants Communicate information about your school and classroom demographics Share and reflect throughout the year

Topics for Discussion and Reflection Beginning the school year Fitting in with veteran faculty Characteristics of high-need populations Classroom management Creating a student-centered learning environment Time management Grading papers Planning instruction Implementing instruction Evaluating instruction Managing difficult students Conferring with parents Motivating students Issues in education Characteristics of effective teaching Working smarter, not harder Other topics of interest

What You Will Want from Your E-Mentor Suggestions and ideas Resources Encouragement and support Help with your professional goals Assistance in making choices and decisions Availability Honesty

What Your E-Mentor Will Want from You Sharing and reflection A desire to learn and improve professional practice Professionalism Consistent communication Application of concepts and skills in classroom practice Excitement and enthusiasm

What You Will Want from the Mentorship Coordinator Assistance with E-Mentorship processes Availability Participation in public newsgroups Monitoring and facilitation of the E- mentorship Answers to Project REACH questions

Contact Us Janelle Godfrey, M.A.Ed. Mentorship Coordinator Toll Free: ext Direct line: Fax: