Because I am an ESPN wife, I know all about March Madness. (Thanks, honey!) The funny thing is, that moniker also applies to education about this time of year. I don’t know about elementary and high school, but for middle school, it seems that the third quarter is always a struggle for students, and therefore, for teachers as well. By this time, our first year teachers are well into the trenches. It’s flu season, we’re getting nervous about the new and upcoming standardized testing and keeping up with the paperwork is getting monotonous. As veteran teachers we know to look to the bright side; SPRING BREAK is coming soon! But what about our new teachers? Their to-do lists are probably growing by the minute, along with their anxiety!
As if that’s not enough, the induction class is drawing to a close. I’m sure many have come to rely on that class as another support system. Do our new teachers have the stategies they need to be successful, innovative teachers? As you know, our expectations in Kershaw County are pretty high! Do they know what to expect during the ADEPT process next year? Are they prepared to handle it with no worries? These are questions we need to reflect on with our new teachers. Our mentoring roles are critical now.
The continuum is one of my favorite things that I took away from mentor training. It is the perfect way to facillitate the self-evaluation/reflection process for our new teachers. It can be used as a way to help them take an objective look at how far they have come and assess where they would like to be. I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to try ANYTHING in order to help my new teacher get through the dogs days of third quarter.
As always, the mentoring community would love to hear your success stories or helpful suggestions! Becky Thrall gave a shout out for her new teacher. (Way to go, Becky!) Our three new teachers at my school (NCMS) are still amazing us! They jump right in – anytime, anyplace! So…. what’s up at your school? Share your questions, concerns, or praises here or at our meeting on Thursday, February 26th. It will be at 4:00 at CHS. Can’t wait to see you there! Goooooooo KCSD Mentors! 
Filed under: Uncategorized
