LP> Even if nobody has done this, I would appreciate suggestions on what
LP> people who have teaching experience feel would have been useful for 
LP> "buddy" teacher to have told them or given them help on during their
LP> first year of teaching.
 
Hi Leona,
 
  A few things pop to mind:
 
        - Sample a few lesson plans and give them a sanity check for 
          "time", if there are hands on type things, can they be 
          accomplished in the class meeting time. 
 
        - Take some time to really get to know all the counselors (in
          my case it was student services and the counseling center, at 
          the prep academy I'm guessing it is probably guidance 
          counselors?) take some time to review their role in referrals
          for issues that may arise in class.
 
        - Help them find your local teacher support services, whether 
          they are on campus or off.  Where can they turn to for extra
          resources to supplement what they already have
 
        - If it's not already required and/or done, review a sampling
          of their tests (if they're not using some form of 
          standardized testing instrument) look to see if the tests 
          serve as a tool for accurately assessing the students 
          progress towards the desired learning outcome
 
        - Ask your administrator what the top 2 problems areas are with
          faculty and help the new person develop a plan to avoid these
          pitfalls (for the sake of the example perhaps submitting term
          grades and attendance tracking are two areas identified as 
          areas needing improvement school-wide) Help the "mentee" to
          come with a plan to meet/beat the established due dates/times
          for this information.  Don't take this one the wrong way, I'm
          sure most schools have some form of metrics or indicators 
          that gauge how they are doing in key result areas, take a 
          positive approach from the start and have the newbie looking 
          at smart ways to tackle the issue and improve the process.
 
Well, some are actual things that I would have really appreciated 
during my first year, others are things that I would do if in your 
position.  During my 13+ years in the Air Force, I've mentored a few 
new Lieutenants. I've found that helping them 1) know where to look for 
help on their own 2) establish professional contacts (networking) and 
3) understand they won't know everything and will need to take an 
active role in learning as they go are some of the most important 
things I could do for them.  Additionally, keep the commentary neutral, 
give them information to help them form their own opinnions about what 
is good or bad in the system.  I've seen situations where the newbie 
comes in and the mentor really loads them down with their own 
perceptions of the system only to create a carbon copy of themselves.
 
Well, this is my two cents worth, hope this helps out some! :)
 
Dale
--- TriDog 10.0
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