Shipley's Mentoring program began in 1998 in an effort to make new teachers to Shipley feel more comfortable in their positions at Shipley. All new teachers are paired up with an experienced teacher within their division, but not in their grade level or discipline. The mentor's responsibility is to help the teacher become more familiar with the culture of Shipley but not necessarily offer curricular support. The relationship between the mentor and the new teacher obviously benefits both teachers. The new teacher can ask questions and share observations and concerns in a confidential, non-judgmental fashion. The experienced teacher benefits from new ideas and perspectives.
The mentoring program, coordinated by Kristin Jaffe (US), Kirsten Small (MS) and Linda Van Horn (LS), has both a social component and a professional developmental piece. The coordinators schedule three general meetings during the year: the first deals with parent conferencing, the second with professional development opportunities, and the last aims to share reflections on the year. With each program, time is set aside for socializing in an effort to make everyone feel a part of the community. In addition, new teachers meet regularly to discuss their classes, share their ideas, and navigate through their first year at school. Through an informal evaluation process, the program aims to improve its support role based on feedback from new teachers and mentors.
The goals of the mentoring program are as follows:
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To orient new teachers to the Shipley School
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To orient new teachers to teaching
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To support individuals as professionals
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To provide renewal for mentors as they work with new teachers
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To build a community within the school
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To recognize and support the need for continual professional development at all levels of the faculty
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