Providing Beginning Teachers with Professional Support Cheryll Douglas Associate Director Office of Clinical Experiences College of Education University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Many teachers have realized the valuable role a mentor plays in the professional development of a first year teacher and in the effectiveness of the first year teacher's instruction. They agree there are many valuable benefits from working with a mentor. You will want to establish a mentoring relationship early during your first year of teaching. What is a mentor? Following the student teaching experience, which is highly supported by University faculty, cooperating teachers, university supervisors, and peers, many first year teachers move into their first year of teaching without any support. They become frustrated and overwhelmed by the demands placed on them by classroom responsibilities and the individual needs of so many students. Many will leave the classroom for a different career within five years. However, an increasing number of districts are focusing on this dilemma by offering mentors to assist in the professional development of the first year teacher. Some districts may grant a teacher permission to leave the classroom to mentor a group of first year teachers. Some may hire outside mentors such as retired schoolteachers. The goal of the mentor is to provide coaching and assistance to first year teachers in developing their first classrooms into productive learning environments and in enhancing their instruction methods for successful teaching careers. The mentor provides support to novice teachers to encourage and nurture them through their first-year frustrations. In addition, the mentor encourages first year teachers to reflect on their own performance in the classroom. Through reflection and problem solving with the mentor, first year teachers are able to provide their own perspectives and their own philosophies to their professional careers. There are many websites on the Internet for first year teachers to use as a source of knowledge and information for questions about classroom responsibilities and activities. Following are some excellent websites for you to begin to help with the first year. Mentoring and Technology Websites Beginning Teacher's Tool Box www.ncate.org Teachers Helping Teachers www.pacificnet.net/~mandel/index.html Teachers.net www.teachers.net IBM Education www.ibm.com/software/info/education The New Teacher Survival Guide www.dun.org/sulan/teacher/teacher.html How Will a Mentor Help? A mentor may offer help in the following ways: Offer support and encouragement Provide resources and activities to support your plans Assist in modification of plans to assure quality instruction Listen to and encourage the mentee to communicate with the mentor Mediate if conflicts arise Provide assistance to develop classroom policies Assist in developing content that encourages students to become problem solvers Share experiences Assist with technical problems Promote collaboration Increase your desire to stay in the profession Familiarize you with the district policies Support and encourage your own reflection on your teaching Offer feedback Discussion Starters/Frequently Asked Questions How can students be encouraged to manage their own behavior? What preventative techniques have helped with management in your classroom? How do you ensure all students have access to computers? What are some of the best practices for using technology? How have you involved parents in your classroom? How have you organized your files to save ideas, materials, and activities? How have you incorporated cultural ideas into your lessons? What are the various forms of communication to have with your parents? © The Illinois Community College Board, Illinois Board of Higher Education, and Illinois State Board of Education, in conjunction with a Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers To Use Technology (PT3) grant from the U.S. Department of Education, funded this project to infuse technology into the core curriculum at Illinois Community Colleges and Universities.