Professional Learning Center

Your New Teachers Are Two Months In. Is Your Teacher Mentoring Program Working?Recommended meta description Two district PD leaders share what makes teacher mentoring programs succeed — mentor selection, matching, funding, and the confidentiality "firewall."

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In New York State, mentoring is essential for teachers who are new to the profession or to their teaching placements. It helps educators grow, succeed, and stay in the classroom, benefiting students and schools alike. Watch our video above to discover how mentoring strengthens teaching and builds lasting connections, and visit our Mentor Teacher Internship Program webpage to learn more about teacher mentors.

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Liz Simons, a full‑time release mentor in Rochester, NY, outlines 13 years of practice using partnership agreements, weekly check‑ins and cognitive coaching maps to drive mentee‑led goals. She leans on JAMS resources — including Why Didn’t I Learn This in College? — and values the JAMS Discussions tab for troubleshooting and peer support. A former mentee’s promotion to district AVID coordinator illustrates the impact. Her advice: explore JAMS thoroughly and connect with other mentors to amplify growth.

app.membership.io/watch/oNvyJRgdDX#/

The goal of Greece's Mentoring Program is to assist experienced educators in building their capacity for supporting new teachers in ways that help them to be fully qualified and fully satisfied.

Fully qualified means that the new teachers and experienced teachers new to GCSD can demonstrate competency with the professional performance standards in our APPR and can, therefore, have a significant impact on student learning.
Fully satisfied means that the new teachers and experienced teachers new to GCSD feel supported, valued, and productive as people and as professional educators and, therefore not only stay in the teaching profession but continue to teach in Greece Central School District. (Commitment 2 in REACH 2027 Strategic Plan)
Did You Know? Mentoring and Coaching as Complementary Systems of Professional Growth. Source: New York State Education Department Office of Higher Education, p. 4, March/April 2026 Newsletter

Professional Learning For Mentors

Instructional Mentors support early career teachers (Initially certified teachers with 2 years or less of teaching experience and have not been formally mentored in another district) for a minimum of 30 hours spread over the course of the school year(s). Focus areas may include: district & building policies and procedures, standards & curriculum, resources & materials, peer coaching, analyze student work & teaching practices to enhance student learning and growth, and report cards/state assessments.

Special Education Mentors support early career to GCSD (see definition and hours above). In addition to the support described above, these mentors provide information and support around RTI, IEP's, and other systems supporting students w/special needs.

📚 Resources and links for Mentors:

New York State Guidance and Standards for Mentoring 12.9.2022

What is the GCSD Teacher Mentor Program? (p.15)

Greece Resources

National Resources

Phases of First Year Teaching: From Surviving to Thriving: Phases of First-Year Teaching by Ellen Moir, Founder and Former CEO, New Teacher Center
Mentoring Through All Phases of First-Year Teaching: From the Jordan School District, West Jordan, UT
Great Teachers Start with Great Mentors, Learning Forward, April 2025
Better than a buddy system: A framework for new teacher mentoring, By Leslie Ceballos, Thomas Manning and Sharron Helmke, April 2025
Learning Forward Featured Coaching Resources (Note: All Greece teachers are members of Learning Forward. If you haven't activated your LF membership to access these resources, please follow these directions first then access the resources.)
Center for Leadership and Educational Equity: Pocket Guide to Probing Questions

GCSD Mentor Guide

Greece Mentor Calendar (Year at a Glance)

JAMS web portal first-time log in Video

JAMS Log-in

Mentor/ Mentee Partnership Survey

Mentoring in the 21st Century Resources