Our district does not have any kind of official support system or mentoring program for first year teachers or teachers new to our district. I identified this issue when I was selected to be on our interview committee for our new elementary hires and 16 of the 20 teachers we interviewed asked what kind of mentoring or support systems we had in place for teachers new to the district. Both brand new teachers and new to the district teachers asked about a mentoring program, so I know it will be beneficial to all new hires.

My learners for this project will be the new teachers we have hired for our district for the 2019-2020 school year. Both experienced teachers who are new to the district and new teachers to the profession will be invited to participate.

I’ve reached out to a variety of diverse stakeholders as well including my principal as well as our curriculum director. It is important to me that this group meets the needs of new teachers, but also fits within our vision for our district and helps to continue to foster a culture of learning and growth. I’ve also reached out to stakeholders outside my district: professors teaching in teacher preparation programs and I’ve reached out to MontanaPBS to do some possible partnerships. I wanted to utilize the knowledge of stakeholders outside my district so that I can help these new teachers grow their Personal Learning Networks outside of just their school or district.

Nearly 50% of new teachers leave the profession within 5 years. If we are able to offer new teachers support and help them build collaborative relationships with each other they will be more likely to stay in the teaching profession. In addition, this is good for our district. We will be better as a whole if we can attract and retain high quality teachers. Teachers who receive some sort of induction or support tend to stay in teaching at rates more than twice teachers who lack support. (Evidence below) In addition to retention rates, teachers who receive support have higher scores or gains on academic achievement tests, have better questioning tasks, are better able to keep students on task and develop good classroom management. All of which will benefit our district and improve outcomes for students.

Not only is it important for the teachers who are brand new to have support, but it is also important that we make sure we are providing support to experienced teachers who are new to the district. From personal experience I would have loved having the ability to have a collaborative group that I could share ideas with while I navigate the new learning that goes along with starting in a new district.

By building a safe place where teachers can talk and collaborate I hope to promote a culture of diversity, equity, and cultural competence. I don’t yet know the teachers I will be working with, but I do know that they come from all over the U.S. and have varied levels of experience in the education community. I want to tap into each teacher’s strength whether new to the profession or veteran and have created a survey asking what their strengths are. I plan on having one of our meetings be an Ed Cafe where teachers can lead a session based on their strengths and interests.

One of the biggest factors diversity wise I anticipate experiencing will be among different age and experience groups. I've been doing some reading on mentoring different generations in order to prepare myself.

I will be implementing a new program. My district does not currently have a mentoring program or support system in place for new hires beyond an initial meeting at the beginning of the year. I will be implementing a once a month meeting as well as an online classroom where new teachers can make connections, share concerns, and grow their practices.

I think this mentorship group will be a viable solution to this challenge because it will provide our incoming teachers with the support they need while also helping to promote a culture of learning and growth in our district.

Chosen Competencies:

I’ve chosen to focus on Interpersonal Effectiveness and Adult Learning for my overarching competencies as I work on this challenge.

Interpersonal Effectiveness is relevant to this challenge because I believe developing a shared student-centered vision is going to be important to the work we do together. I think that the online portion of the mentorship program through Google Classroom will be a way where we can communicate effectively and have ongoing discussion around our shared vision.

Adult learning is relevant because my primary stakeholders for this project are other teachers. Because they are all going to be in different places it is important that I can use adult learning strategies while also respecting their unique differences and strengths.

I am focusing on Collaborate Purposefully which is relevant because I don’t want to create a group only focused on one perspective. I want to create and support opportunities for all involved to contribute their knowledge, skills and perspectives in a variety of ways. If this group is successful we’ll be able to unite around a shared student-vision while also bringing our own unique abilities and perspectives to the table.

For the instructional pathway I am focusing on Facilitating Collaborative Relationships. This is relevant because through this work I hope to connect other teachers to meet one another’s needs. Through our Google Classroom component I will be able to help all stakeholders collaborate and engage with each other regardless of time or place. Also, this work will unitie many diverse perspectives through a shared vision.

I am working with my principal as well as our curriculum director to get this started. I’ve also reached out to several professors who teach in teaching preparation programs, and am working on doing a collaboration with MontanaPBS. I've also reached out to an academic coach from my previous district for some book recommendations that would be good for new teachers.

Once I get to know the teachers I will be working with and their needs, I can plan on what other collaborations might be helpful to them.

I will need time and space as well as access to the list of new hires. I’ve been working with my principal and our curriculum director in order to figure out the best space to meet and have asked our curriculum director for a list of new hires, so I can start building relationships with them. I’m also starting a donorschoose.org project to get each new teacher The EduProtocols Field Guide as a welcome gift and a resource we can discuss in our meetings.