Submitted by Leonard Isenberg (not verified) on June 28, 2007 - 21:48.
While mentoring new teachers is an excellent idea, what it has degenerated to in many parts of the Los Angeles Unified School District is just another perk for old-guard teachers who seem to care only about protecting and expanding their privileged position and compensation. Mentors get an additional stipend as mentors whether or not they actually help new teachers.
Several years ago, I interviewed for a position at Venice High School that consisted of being a traveling teacher who taught 3 English and 2 U.S. History courses in 5 different rooms- a formula for burn-out in one year for some unsuspecting first-year teacher.
When the school found out that I had more seniority than most of the present teaching staff and could bump them from their less stressful classes, I was not even considered for the open position that they were interviewing for.
Rather than dividing up these students with poor English skills- that were likely to act out due to the frustration of low academic skills- among the more seasoned teachers- you know, the same ones who are qualified to be mentors -the school just hired a new teacher ever year to deal with the students that the mentor types were unwilling to deal with.
With an attrition rate as high as 50% of new teachers quiting the profession within 5 years, true and verifiable mentoring and sharing of difficult classes should not be a choice for the old-guard with high seniority, but rather an obligation. This would go a long way toward lessening the hemorrhaging of new teachers and the billions of scarce educational dollars that would not have to be spent to constantly replace them.
It is only short-sighted big inner-city school districts, administered by ex-teachers with no business skills, that thinks it is saving money with this constant destablizing turnover, because they do not appreciate that the moderate savings they will achieve by hiring a cheaper new teacher is dwarfed by the costs related to constant teacher replacement.
Mentoring New Teachers
Submitted by Leonard Isenberg (not verified) on June 28, 2007 - 21:48.
While mentoring new teachers is an excellent idea, what it has degenerated to in many parts of the Los Angeles Unified School District is just another perk for old-guard teachers who seem to care only about protecting and expanding their privileged position and compensation. Mentors get an additional stipend as mentors whether or not they actually help new teachers.
Several years ago, I interviewed for a position at Venice High School that consisted of being a traveling teacher who taught 3 English and 2 U.S. History courses in 5 different rooms- a formula for burn-out in one year for some unsuspecting first-year teacher.
When the school found out that I had more seniority than most of the present teaching staff and could bump them from their less stressful classes, I was not even considered for the open position that they were interviewing for.
Rather than dividing up these students with poor English skills- that were likely to act out due to the frustration of low academic skills- among the more seasoned teachers- you know, the same ones who are qualified to be mentors -the school just hired a new teacher ever year to deal with the students that the mentor types were unwilling to deal with.
With an attrition rate as high as 50% of new teachers quiting the profession within 5 years, true and verifiable mentoring and sharing of difficult classes should not be a choice for the old-guard with high seniority, but rather an obligation. This would go a long way toward lessening the hemorrhaging of new teachers and the billions of scarce educational dollars that would not have to be spent to constantly replace them.
It is only short-sighted big inner-city school districts, administered by ex-teachers with no business skills, that thinks it is saving money with this constant destablizing turnover, because they do not appreciate that the moderate savings they will achieve by hiring a cheaper new teacher is dwarfed by the costs related to constant teacher replacement.