Responding to a message by Leona, to All on ...
LP>I found out late last week that my principal recommended me for the New
LP>Teacher Mentoring program in my district.
Congratulations (I think) - seems like you've been deemed a respected 
member of your staff.  Will they give you some time to do this (one 
class less than a full load), or is it an add-on?
LP>If anybody has had experience in doing this in a formal program, please
LP>contact me.
In 1969 I participated in a program as a "mentee."  We were all (new 
teachers and mentor alike) given one duty-free period a week for a group 
meeting and one duty-free period per month for visitations.
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 a
LP>"buddy" teacher to have told them or given them help on during their
LP>first year of teaching.
I got a LOT of good stuff out of the sessions.  Part of it was getting 
familiarized with some of the local customs.  For example, I had a place 
to go find out what was going on when kids kept coming up to me all day 
asking to go to the "basement."  I had no idea - 'til someone explained 
that that was a local expression used to describe the bathrooms - no one 
knows why it came about, but it persisted for years.
More importantly, I got a chance to see others teach and work out some 
of the problems I had developing a philosophy about discipline.  We 
video-taped each other, watched and critiqued the results as a group.  
Just having a few people to discuss problems with, learn procedures from 
and share the experience of first-year teaching with was a real boon.
Chuck Beams
Fidonet - 1:2608/70
cbeams@future.dreamscape.com
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