These Mentors Love Helping New Teachers... Here's Why

January is National Mentoring Month!  

Mentoring is an important and necessary part of a person's professional - and even personal - growth. Fortunately, in New Jersey, mentoring is a requirement for new teachers. Alternate Route Teachers, in particular, must receive thirty weeks of mentoring with a stipulation that districts ensure a once per week meeting between the mentor and mentee for the first eight weeks of the teaching assignment. Because they are typically transitioning from careers in other industries or joining the teaching profession straight from college with no education coursework, their teacher training is designed like an apprenticeship. They experience on-the-job learning where they acquire the competencies and skills needed to be effective in their classrooms while working in the role as provisional teacher of record, which makes mentoring essential to their success.
 

As provisionally licensed teachers, Rutgers Alternate Route program candidates are connected expert mentors selected by principals for their own teaching achievements. These connections help our first-year teacher candidates feel supported, introduce them to new teaching methods and provide a listening ear when challenges arise.  
 

After a year of guiding, coaching and encouraging new teacher candidates in their districts, Rutgers Alternate Route connected with mentors to learn what it was like working with their mentees. The response was unanimous: district mentors LOVED working with their Rutgers Alternate Route mentees!  Their comments ranged from praise about their mentees’ ability to plan effective, fun and creative lessons to their willingness to go above and beyond. In some instances, mentors commented that candidates managed their teaching responsibilities like seasoned educators.  
 

We've gathered the mentor responses and organized them into a blog to highlight these meaningful relationships. These responses show that the benefits of mentoring new teachers pay dividends in the support and high-quality education teachers subsequently provide for young people.

 

If you’re considering following your dream of teaching, Rutgers Alternate Route can offer you the support and training you need to succeed. Be sure to follow Rutgers Alternate Route on Twitter or sign up for Alternate Route’s monthly newsletter for more information and stories from the field of education.