Mentoring Teachers 

Creating and Fostering a Responsive Culture 

Megan Dowdell  

Overview

Transitioning into a something new is always challenging. Walking in on your first day to your new organization is always nerve racking –not knowing what to expect, looking for that nice person who can tell you the ins and outs. Working at the ABC School there are many challenges that new teachers are faced with upon entering the classroom -student behaviors, the timeout system, the behavior system, the points system, and the list goes on. Working in a school everyone in the building needs to be on the same page, but how are we suppose to do that when new teachers aren’t given the proper supervision, training, and support from the start?

Following is an overview of what you can expect to see in this case that addresses the importance of providing new teachers with supervision, training, and support.

Abstract

The ABC School is a non-profit school that works directly with the surrounding districts of Boston to provide a therapeutic setting for students with severe behavioral, emotional, and social needs ranging in ages 5-22. All classrooms are designed to have two teachers; composing of at least one special education teacher, a general education teacher, or a teacher’s assistant. Outside all of the classrooms there are caseworkers that assist with behaviors. However, the high demand of teacher attention and behaviors in the classroom can be overwhelming for beginning teachers. During the allotted time for orientation the week before school starts, beginning teachers should have supplemental trainings to better prepare them for the classroom. This problem of practice will discuss the importance of providing beginning teachers with supervision, training, and support.