Mentorship Information

2025-26 IBA Mentorship Calendar  

Revised (6-20-2025)

September 1 Finalize all active and retired mentorship pairs

October 1        Chairpersons send message to mentees to check how things are going with their mentors.

October 13      Chairpersons send reminders to mentors to report visits they have made and turn in paperwork.

October 20       1st mentor report to chairpersons

October 31       IAAE Fall Symposium sponsored by IAAE in Fort Dodge

December 8      Chairpersons send reminders to mentors to report visits they have made and turn in paperwork.

December 20     2nd mentor report to chairpersons

January 7 Statewide Zoom meeting for all mentors to check on progress and troubleshoot

February 2 Chairpersons send reminders to mentors to report visits they have made and turn in paperwork.

February 23         3rd mentor report to chairpersons

April 22 Chairpersons send reminders to mentors to report visits they have made and turn in paperwork.

May 1         4th mentor report to chairpersons (include planned future visits to finish year)

May 14-16 All chairpersons meet at the Mentorship session at the IBA conference

Friday Morning Breakfast Session sponsored and hosted by IBARD, Rieman Music, Mid Bell Music

Mentorship Agreement

As a retired mentor I agree to:

1. Make four in-person visits (or Zoom during a pandemic) to each director I agree to mentor.

2. Communicate regularly with my mentee and make quarterly reports to my district IBARD chairperson.

3. Turn in paperwork to the IAAE office in a timely manner.

4. If I am unable to fulfill my mentorship duties, I agree to notify my district chairperson immediately so a replacement mentor can be found.

As an active mentor I agree to:

1. Contact my mentee early in the year and set up a schedule for regular communication with them.

2. Remind my mentee of upcoming deadlines and other district information they may not be familiar with.

3. Invite my mentee to contact me whenever they have a question or issue, and I will communicate with them as soon as possible.

4. If I am unable to fulfill my duties as a mentor, I agree to notify my district mentorship chairperson immediately so a replacement can be found.

Mentorship Topics

While there is always room for improvement, the IAAE mentorship program is working. In cases where the mentors and mentees have worked together regularly, it has succeeded spectacularly. We need to take time to celebrate these successes and then explore ways to keep improving the program. The most important issue is how do we get all 1st and 2nd-year teachers, who are willing to accept a mentor, to receive at least four retired mentor visits and regular communication from their active mentors?

1. Communication—There is sometimes a breakdown in communication between mentors and mentees and between mentors and IBARD/Mentorship chairpersons. Here are suggestions to improve communication:

   1. Create a calendar of when pairings will be made and four dates throughout the year for mentors to report their visits to their district mentorship or IBARD chairs.

   2. Regular communication between district chairpersons and IAAE (Cassidy Noring).

   3. Dates for chairpersons to send reminders to mentors to get visits made, paperwork turned in, and report visits to their chairperson.

   4. Inservice retired mentors so they know if they are unable or unwilling to fulfill their duties as a mentor, they will tell their chairperson immediately so a replacement can be found (see Mentor Agreement form)

   5. Create a list of suggestions for how to handle communication breakdowns when a mentee will not respond to their mentor.

   6. District chairpersons communicate with mentees periodically to get their perception of how the process is working and deal with any problems early in the year.

   7. Have active and retired mentors who share a mentee communicate to “double-team” that new teacher.

   8. Zoom meeting halfway through the year for all mentors.

2. Recruiting mentors—We have a shortage of retired mentors in some districts.

   1. Share success stories to highlight the importance of mentorship to young teachers.

   2. Recruit at the conference from the IBARD booth.

   3. Create a brochure explaining the differences between the IAAE music mentorship program and the school mentorship program to pass out to 1st- and 2nd-year teachers and mentors.

2024-25 Mentor Report and Reimbursement Forms

1.  Use these forms for reporting your visitation and for reimbursement of your time spent with the mentee.  Click on the appropriate link.

2. 2024-25 In Person Mentor Visit Reimbursement Form

3. 2024-25 Virtual Mentor Visit Reimbursement Form

4. 2024-25 In Person Mentor Visit Reimbursement Print Form

5. 2024-25 Virtual Mentor Visit Reimbursement Print Form

2024-25 Mentee Application and Reimbursement Forms

Scholarship Application

Presentation/Masterclass Reimbursement Form

IBARD and IBA Mentor Brochure

Please click on this link to open the brochure which you can print copies to share with your mentees and mentors.

MENTOR BROCHURE

IAAE MENTOR AND MENTEE HANDBOOK

CLICK ON THE ABOVE LINK