Mentoring Teachers

New teachers often struggle to apply their knowledge in real-world settings, and the idea of mentoring these teachers during their first years in the classroom has captured the imagination of schools all over the world. Drawn from the experiences over the last twenty years of the New Teacher Center, the book illuminates the subtleties and struggles of becoming an excellent, effective mentor. The book discusses the five big tensions of mentoring: developing a new identity, developing trusting relationships, accelerating teacher growth, mentoring in challenging contexts, and learning leadership skills.

• Describes in-depth the most common challenges of the mentor role
• A wonderful guide for both new and veteran mentors
• Includes engaging firsthand narratives written by mentors working in a variety of settings

This book is from the New Teacher Center, an organization whose highly respected mentor training model has served over 50,000 teachers nationwide. The New Teacher Center is dedicated to improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders through comprehensive mentoring and professional development programs.

Foreword vii
Ellen Moir

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

About the Authors xvii

Introduction 1

Part One THE TENSIONS OF MENTORING

TENSION ONE: Building a New Identity 9

TENSION TWO: Developing Trusting Relationships 21

TENSION THREE: Accelerating Teacher Development 35

TENSION FOUR: Mentoring in Challenging Contexts 43

TENSION FIVE: Learning Leadership Skills 51

Part Two STORIES OF MENTORING

STORY ONE: The Waiting Place 65
Leslie Baldacci

STORY TWO: Fired, Hired, and Inspired 81
Kathleen Aldred

STORY THREE: Finding a Way 105
Mary Eldred

STORY FOUR: Savior, Friend, Mentor 121
Frank Pantano

Conclusion: What Can We Learn? 141

Appendix: Mentor Prompts 147

Index 155

Ann Lieberman is a senior scholar at Stanford University. She was a senior scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and she is an emeritus professor from Teachers College, Columbia University. Susan Hanson is a senior researcher at the New Teacher Center (NTC). Janet Gless is the chief programs and partnerships officer at NTC.

New Teacher Center is dedicated to improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of new teachers and school leaders. NTC has served over 50,000 teachers and 7,000 mentors, touching millions of students across the country through comprehensive mentoring and professional development programs.

Drawing from the more than twenty years of experience of the New Teacher Center, Mentoring Teachers illuminates the subtleties and struggles of becoming an excellent and effective mentor. Step-by-step, the book outlines how people develop and grow as mentors, and the authors share the following five "tensions" as the key areas of focus:

• Tension 1: Building a New Identity

• Tension 2: Developing Trusting Relationships

• Tension 3: Accelerating Teacher Development

• Tension 4: Mentoring in Challenging Contexts

• Tension 5: Learning Leadership Skills

Praise for Mentoring Teachers

"The authors deeply understand what it means to be a mentor in all its complexity. Written with compassion and insight, they face the tough issues." —Jon Saphier, founder, Research for Better Teaching, Inc.; author, The Skillful Teacher

"A compelling view of what it means to teach and help others learn to do so. This book should be read not only by teachers and mentors but also by administrators, policy makers, and legislators." —Anna E. Richert, professor, Mills School of Education; director, Mills Teacher Scholars