Educational Service District 101 provides new teachers with orientation and support as they begin their teaching careers. Research tells us that in order to retain teachers in the profession we must provide support in that first year of teaching that guides them through the challenges that they often face.

We offer a series that is designed to empower new teachers and their mentors with skills and tools to use throughout the year. Both new teachers and their assigned mentors receive initial targeted training to support them in their respective roles. We begin the school year meeting first with the new teachers and following that up with a day long session with mentors. Throughout the year the teams meet together to network and to provide additional training. The agenda for these sessions are developed around the needs of the participants and requests from the mentor/new teacher teams but will include information regarding:

• Parent communication
• Home connections
• Staff relationships
• Professional Certification
• How to observe a classroom - look fors
• Classroom management

Training for new teachers includes:
Building appropriate relationships with students.

• Building supportive learning partnerships with parents
• Building collegial peer relationships with other staff
• Managing work load and effective time management
• Classroom management
• Assessment tools
• Professional Code of Conduct
• Professional appearance and identity

Topics covered in mentor training include:

• Developing learning focused conversations
• Working with adult learners
• Professional and legal requirements for mentors
• Classroom management
• Assessment
• Mentor tools - formats to utilize when working with your new teacher

Contact:
Christine Tuckerman, Director
(509) 789-3606, ctuckerman@esd101.net

Nancy Comstock, Coordinator
(509) 789-3756, ncomstock@esd101.net

Kandace Watkins, Secretary
(509) 789-3547, kwatkins@esd101.net