BC educational leadership research eJournal

Issue 10. JUNE 2007

MENTORSHIP

From the editor’s desk: Guest Editor Bonnie Chappel

	Before I stepped into my first classroom as a teacher, I thought teaching was mainly instruction, partly performing, certainly being in the front and at the center of classroom life. Later, with much chaos and some pain, I learned that this is the least of it – teaching includes a more splendorous range of actions. Teaching is instructing, advising, counselling, organizing, assessing, guiding, goading, showing, managing, modelling, coaching, disciplining, prodding, preaching, persuading, proselytizing, listening, interacting, nursing, and inspiring.
Gloria Ladson-Billings, University of Wisconsin

Introduction

Our newly qualified teachers come to apply for jobs looking so eager and ‘shiny’.  They have high ideals and high expectations for themselves and their potential students.  How can we ensure that they keep their enthusiasm, that they find success, and that they provide exceptional educational experiences for all the students in their classes?

Mentoring is a powerful, valued process for ongoing learning from and with peers. When offered as a strategic, intentional, organized initiative, a mentorship experience can be an effective district response to the challenging issues of staff recruitment, retention and succession planning.  A key component to building capacity in a school district is to support the professional development of colleagues at each entry into a new stage of their educational career.

Many districts in B.C. are providing mentorship programs for their new, and newly assigned teachers.  This ejournal edition contains descriptions of a variety of mentoring models for districts to consider.  As readers read this journal they may want to think about the following guiding principles for a successful mentorship program:

• An investment in retention, integration and enhanced teacher quality
• Provision of a collaborative support network for all participants
• Support for successful induction into the teaching/administrative career
• Instructional, social, emotional and professional support
• Sustainability towards improved student learning
• Integral to implementation and maintenance of district initiatives

This ejournal ends with a series of questions to ponder as a starting point for districts who are investigating the formalization of a mentorship initiative. We encourage readers to contact the district representatives mentioned in the following articles for more information.

Bonnie Chappell,
Director, School Services
Guest Editor
BC Educational Leadership Research Ejournal

Food for Thought: Some questions to reflect upon

FEEDBACK

Let us know what you think about the articles, the ejournal and any other topics for future issues that would serve the interests of the university and the field by emailing to slc.edu@ubc.ca

Article
Quick links

Susan Pudek
LST: Mentorship, Delta School District
[download article]

Mike Lombardi
Supporting New Teachers: A Fundamental Responsibility of the Teaching Profession
[download article]

Bonnie Chappell
Saima Fewster
Mentoring Projects in School District No. 57, (Prince George)
[download article]