1. education
2. school

Jasper City Schools
High Standards~ High Expectations~ High Performance
110 17th Street West P.O. Box 500 Jasper, Alabama 35502 • 205.384.6880 • On the web at www.jasper.k12.al.us
HU
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2014-2015 Teacher Mentoring Manual
Dr. Ann Jackson
Superintendent
Dr. Martha LaCroix
Director of Accountability Programs & Support Services
Program Description
The Jasper City School System offers to all newly hired teachers, both beginning teachers and experienced
teachers, a mentor to provide assistance in making a successful transition to employment in the Jasper City
Schools. The system recognizes that newly hired teachers in the district bring with them varying degrees of
training and experience. A differentiated mentoring program addresses needs of both beginning and
experienced teachers.
Mentoring is . . .
 An individualized process through which an experienced teacher in the school district guides and
supports a newly-hired teacher’s transition into the district
 A process “that opens the doors to the school community and helps new faculty find the wisdom of all
the teachers in the building”
 Going next door to that new person and saying, 'What can I do for you?'"
 Helping teachers “make sense of the realities that they face in teaching, learn their significance, and
use what they have learned to improve their teaching skills"
 Making certain “that new teachers have access to the accumulated instructional knowledge and
expertise of their colleagues in ways that contribute to student success”
 A mechanism to articulate and share the genius of teaching
(Alabama Teacher Induction and Mentoring Manual, 2003; National Foundation for the Improvement of
Education, 1999)
A mentor is . . .
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An advisor
A confidante
A counselor
A facilitator
A connector (linking the mentee to people, services, and resources in the school and community)
A lifelong learner
A coach (encouraging mentee growth through focused listening, asking reflective questions, and
paraphrasing the mentee’s responses/concerns)
 A guide (instructing the mentee in informal “unwritten rules” and norms of the new school culture)
 A role model (demonstrating a positive approach to daily job demands, a genuine concern of students,
and a passion for teaching)
(Alabama Teacher Induction and Mentoring Manual, 2003)
2
Jasper City Schools
Mentor Code of Ethics
Purpose of the Code of Ethics
The primary goal of the Jasper City Schools’ Teacher Mentoring Program is to assist new teachers
in making a successful transition into the school environment. Mentoring is the cornerstone of the
program and therefore the conduct of the mentor and the integrity of the mentor/mentee
relationship are of the utmost importance in the success of the program. The purpose of the
Mentor Code of Ethics is to clarify responsibilities and standards of accountability. While
acknowledging every mentor/mentee relationship will be different, the Code should clarify the
boundaries of appropriate behaviors and clarify the proper role and function of the mentor.
Respect
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The mentor will respect the mentee’s integrity and individuality.
The mentor will provide services in a nondiscriminatory manner.
The mentor will show sensitive regard for the mentee’s moral, social, and religious standards
and avoid imposing his/her beliefs.
In the relationship, the mentee retains full freedom of choice and decision in his/her own
classroom.
The mentor’s main concern is the mentee’s integrity and welfare.
Confidentiality
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The mentor will respect the rules of confidentiality with respect to the mentor/mentee
relationship.
The mentor shall disclose confidential information about the mentee only when compelling
professional purpose is served or when required by law to prevent a clear and immediate
danger to someone. Compelling professional purpose can be defined as anything that
severely threatens a child’s emotional well-being and/or academic performance.
The mentor should respect the mentee’s privacy and confidentiality in disclosing information
about the mentee to colleagues and superiors.
The mentor should take precautions to ensure that records, reports, and correspondence
relating to the mentee are secure from public inspection and not shared inappropriately.
Power/Gain
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The mentor shall not use the relationship with his/her mentee to private advantage.
3
Competence
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The mentor shall participate in continuing education to keep informed of current best practice
in mentoring and teaching.
Relationship
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The mentor will establish and maintain appropriate professional relationship boundaries.
The mentor will avoid a dual relationship (e.g., business or intimate) with the mentee that could
impair professional judgment, compromise the integrity of the induction program, and/or use
the relationship for personal gain.
The mentor should always be mindful of the importance of serving as a role model and act as
an advocate for teaching.
Termination of Relationship

The mentor should not abandon or neglect the mentee. If the mentor is unable or unwilling to
serve as mentor, every reasonable effort should be made to select another mentor and
facilitate a smooth transition to the new mentor.
Representative of the School and District

The mentor is a representative of the school and district and should always attempt to fulfill the
mission of the school and reflect the values and standards for which it stands. The mentor
should be committed to excellence in teaching.
Conflict of Interest

The mentor should avoid having an evaluative relationship with the mentee. Serving in an evaluative
capacity could compromise the primary relationship.
[Adapted from Alabama Teacher Induction and Mentoring Manual, 2003)
4
Developing Trust in the Mentoring Relationship
Mentoring is essentially about a relationship between mentor and mentee. The most successful mentoring
relationships are built on trust.
The Alabama Teacher Mentoring Program (2007) stresses the following multiple dimensions of trust:
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Authenticity – Being yourself
Honesty – Speaking the truth
Listening – Listening to understand, not to judge
Confidentiality – Keeping confidences
Not putting others down – Recognizing and building on strengths
Not trying to take over – Remembering our roles as mentors.
Communication Strategies for Mentors
The Alabama Teacher Mentoring Program (2007) makes the point that established, everyday
communication habits may need to be strengthened to support the best mentoring relationships. Mentors
need special skills of listening, rephrasing, clarifying, and prompting thinking.
Listening
“One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears—by listening to them.” – Dean Rusk
Strategies
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Stop talking . . . to others and to yourself.
Imagine the other’s point of view.
Look, act, and be interested.
Observe for the meaning behind the words.
Don’t interrupt. Wait until the mentee finishes and pause at least three seconds (He/she may have
more to say.).
 Speak only affirmatively while listening.
 Paraphrase to ensure understanding.
5
Questioning
“You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it within himself.”—Galileo Galilei
The Mentor’s Use of Questioning
Ask reflective questions to engage a person in thinking about his/her perception and understanding or to
cause deep thinking about an issue.
Examples
Tell me about . . .
Did you notice . . .?
What problems did you come across today?
How are you planning to address this?
Talk to me about what success might look like.
What might be the relationship between
and ___ .
Ask probing questions to get deeper into a person’s thoughts or to lead the person to be more explicit.
Probing questions are aimed at the following:
Clarifying – to ensure a common
understanding of what is said
Examples
What do you mean when you say . . .?
Help me get behind your thinking.
Paraphrase: Let me see if I’ve got this right. (Summarize in your own words.)
Eliciting – to get more information
Examples
Can you give me an example of . . .?
Talk about a time when you were able to . . .
Say more about . . .
6
Making Time for Mentoring
Many of the best opportunities for mentoring occur as job-embedded activities within the regular school
day:
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before school
during recess
during lunch
during grade-level or department meetings
after school
during common planning times
in the hall between classes
via email.
Things Your Mentee May Ask About
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opening day procedures
student registration
class rosters
enrollment/parent information forms
sick leave/personal leave forms
open house
hospitality/flower fund
school rules
school keys/security schedules
student fees/money-handling procedures
technology assistance (including STI)
staff parking
student supervision responsibilities
school arrival/dismissal times
fire/tornado drills
photocopying
paper/other supplies
field trips
student assessment
faculty and grade-level/department meetings
library resources
school handbook
substitute procedures
homework
extracurricular responsibilities
professional development requirements
[Adapted from Jefferson County, Tennessee Schools: Teacher Induction Program Manual, 2008-2009]
7
Jasper City Schools
Mentor/Mentee Log
Mentors may use this log to document all contacts. Indicate the date the contact was made, how
the contact was made (phone, email, in person, etc.), the activity, and the time spent.
Mentor:
DATE
Mentee:
TYPE OF CONTACT
ACTIVITY
TIME SPENT
TOTAL HOURS
8
Strategies for Assisting New Teachers
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Observing in the beginning teacher’s classroom with feedback conference.
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Demonstrating or co-teaching with a beginning teacher.
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Creating opportunities for the beginning teacher to observe his/her own or other teachers’ classrooms.
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Videotaping beginning teacher’s classroom, followed by a collaborative debrief.
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Collaboratively designing, planning, and/or reviewing of lessons (using Alabama Courses of Study, as appropriate).
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Weekly reflective conferences (using Alabama Continuum for Teacher Development).
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Review and analysis of student data (disaggregating as appropriate) to plan and assess instructional strategies.
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Review or development of teacher designed work and/or assessments.
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Examination of student work.
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Directing beginning teacher to helpful resources (e.g., web sites, curriculum resources).
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Planning (and perhaps role-playing) a family conference.
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Selecting and attending a workshop (or other professional development experience) together.
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Completing school, district, and state forms together.
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Providing feedback on classroom arrangement.
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Providing samples of discipline plans.
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Sharing school, district and state policies and procedures regarding issues such as recording attendance, discipline,
grading, field trips, assemblies, etc.
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Assessing and documenting the impact of an instructional strategy on student learning.
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Helping select evidence of a beginning teacher’s growth/performance over the school year.
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Reflectively writing through shared journaling or e-mail.
(from Alabama Teacher Mentoring Program Manual, 2008)
9
New Teachers and Emotional Phases in Year One of Teaching
Researchers have looked at the needs of beginning teachers over the course of the year. Ellen Moir, Director of the New
Teacher Center, found a cycle in the emotional state of new teachers. Figure 1 displays these findings graphically.
Figure 1
Beginning Teachers’ Emotional
Journey During Their First Year
Eagerness
Reflection
Endurance
Hope
Renewal
Distress
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
July
Mentors can use this information as a general guide to “where their beginning teacher may be” at a particular point in time.
Obviously, the graph displays a pattern that represents the aggregation of data from thousands of cases. Not all individuals will
conform to this pattern, but it can inform our planning. The Alabama Teacher Mentoring Program developed the following
“calendar of activities” aligned with six different phases identified by Moir.
(from Alabama Teacher Mentoring Program Manual, 2008)
10
Suggestions for Mentor-Beginning Teacher Interactions
Related to Beginning Teachers’ Emotional Journey During First Year of Teaching
(from Alabama Teacher Mentoring Program Manual, 2008)
Phase 1: Eagerness—Before School Begins through the 1st Few Weeks of School
Focus
Questions to Explore
Activities/
Strategies
Resources
Personal
▲ Clarifying roles and
expectations for mentormentee relationships
▲Developing a personal
relationship with one
another
▲ Establishing a support
st
network for 1 year teacher
▲ Committing to balance
professional with social,
recreational, family, and
spiritual life
▲ Personal introduction of 1
year teacher to faculty
▲ Informal meetings with other
st
1 year teachers and their
mentors
▲ Lunch together (as feasible)
▲ Attending faculty meetings &
other school events together
▲ Journaling
▲ E-mailing to welcome/respond
to questions/share information
▲ Faculty directory
▲ School yearbook
▲ Journal
Classroom

Curriculum &
Instruction
▲ Establishment of
expectations/norms for
student learning (including
classroom procedures,
homework policy, etc.)
▲ Beginning teacher’s lesson
design for first few weeks of
school
▲ Assessment plan, including
assessment procedures,
test schedule, etc.
▲ What are your expectations regarding
our relationship?
▲ What motivated you to enter the
teaching profession?
▲ What are your personal goals?
interests and hobbies?
▲ What are your commitments outside
of school? What possible challenges
might you face as you strive to
balance work and personal life?
▲ Are you communicating with peers
from your teacher prep program?
▲ What personal support networks do
you have in place?
▲ What is your vision for your
classroom?
 What type of
relationship do you hope
to establish with your
students?
 What expectations do
you have for student
academic performance?
▲ How will you use data to
differentiate instruction for
your students?
▲ What questions do you have
about monitoring and
reporting student progress
▲ Mentor works with BT before
school begins to “set up”
classroom (e.g., furniture
arrangement, management
tools, etc.)
▲ Mentor provides “critical friend
review” of lesson plans for first
week of school
▲ Mentor reviews BT’s
assessment plan and provides
feedback
▲ Alabama Course of Study
▲ Alabama Continuum for
Teacher Development (&
Alabama Quality Teaching
Standards)
▲ ALEX and SDE websites
▲ Local curriculum guides
and/or units of study
▲ Names & contact information
for central office curriculum &
instructional specialists
▲ ARI & AMSTI coaches (where
available)
▲ Inclusion teacher(s)
st
11

Classroom
Management
Schoolwide
Focus
Questions to Explore
▲ Understanding district
and school discipline
policies and procedures
▲ Developing/adopting
expectations, rules, and
procedures for student
behavior (including
consequences for
misbehavior)
▲ Developing a system for
management of routine
procedures (e.g., taking
attendance, collecting &
distributing papers, etc)
and of materials and
resources—including print
materials, computer
usage, etc.
▲ Introducing beginning
teacher to members of
faculty and staff
▲ Familiarizing BT with
school culture—including
traditions, rituals, “ways of
being together as a
faculty” (IF these are
positive norms!)
▲ Ensuring that BT knows
about school’s vision and
improvement goals
▲ Helping BT feel a sense
of connectedness and
belongingness
▲ What questions do you
have about our school’s
student behavior and
discipline policies?
▲ How will you go about
establishing a classroom
learning community, where
each student is respected
and respectful of others
and feels both motivated
and comfortable? In what
ways do your classroom
rules and procedures build
student responsibility?
▲ What questions do you
have about our school’s
history, traditions, etc.?
▲ How does this school
compare to the one you
attended? the one in which
you did your student
teaching and other clinical
work?
▲ What have members of our
faculty and staff done to
make you feel welcome?
Are there members of
faculty/staff whom you’d
like to meet?
Activities/
Strategies
▲ Collaborative review of
classroom rules and
procedures
▲ Collaborative development
and/or review of letter to
families introducing
beginning teacher and
explaining classroom rules
and procedures (posted on
school website if this is a
possibility)
▲ Drive through school’s
attendance area to get a sense
of where students “come from”
▲ Tour of school with introductions
to faculty and staff (including all
support staff)
▲ Review of school improvement
plan or other document that
highlights school’s vision,
mission, goals
▲ Informal chat with BT and other
mentors and BTs to discuss
faculty’s vision and beliefs
related to student learning
▲ Mentor conversation with
principal regarding
relationships—with emphasis
upon need for confidentiality
Resources
▲ District policies related to
student attendance,
behavior, and other
pertinent areas
▲ School handbooks—for
teachers, parents, and
students
▲ Examples of classroom
rules and procedures—for
management of routine
tasks, materials, student
behavior, etc.
▲ All faculty and staff
▲ School Improvement Plan
▲ Artifacts of school’s
history/tradition, including
scrapbooks, yearbooks,
etc.
▲ District mentor liaison
(contact person for
information about training
and other information from
ATM)
12
Phase 2: Endurance—1st Six to Eight Weeks of School (August-October)
Focus
Personal
▲ Helping mentee manage
time
▲ Being available for active
and empathic listening to
mentee
▲ Providing encouragement
when needed
Classroom
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Curriculum &
Instruction
▲ Helping BT with pacing and
monitoring of curriculum
▲ Serving as a “sounding
board” for BT to talk about
student engagement and
response to lesson delivery
▲ Reviewing student
assessments
▲ Clarifying questions about
grading and reporting
procedures
▲ Communications with
parents and/or other family
members
Questions to Explore
Activities/
Strategies
Resources
▲ How is it going for you
personally? How are you
feeling about your work?
▲ What are you doing “just for
fun”? Are you blocking out
some time just for yourself
after school & on weekends?
▲ What kinds of questions do
you have about administrator
observations and evaluations?
▲ Reflect on the lessons you’ve
delivered over the past several days.
 What lessons have gone
really well? What evidence do
you have of their success?
What do you think contributed
to this success? How can you
build on these successes?
 Are there lessons that have
gone less well? What’s the
evidence? What would you do
differently?
▲ What do you find most interesting
about your students? What are you
finding out about their readiness,
learning styles, talents, etc?
▲ What questions do you have about
preparing and recording grades for
report cards?
▲ Informal check-ins just to see
“how it’s going” on a personal
level for your BT
▲ Attending school activities
together
▲ Sitting together at faculty
meetings and other sessions
▲ Beginning teacher’s personal
calendar and school calendar
(to assure that BT has
important dates recorded well
in advance)
▲ Personal stories from your
early years of teaching
▲ Journal
▲ Observation of BT’s classroom at an
agreed-upon time followed by a
collaborative feedback conference
▲ Reflection on selected sections of
Alabama Continuum for Teacher
Development, especially from
Standard 2, Teaching and Learning
▲ Collaborative review of lesson
designs
▲ Collaborative review of assignments
and/or assessments
▲ Collaborative review of samples of
student work
▲ Conversation about reporting of
progress to families (including report
cards and any interim reports)
▲ Review of process for
communication with home
▲ Role play conference with family with
concerns about child’s report card
grades
▲ Alabama Course of Study
▲ Alabama Continuum for
Teacher Development
▲ District (and/or school)
curriculum and pacing guides
(results of recent curriculum
mapping)
▲ Online resources, including
ALEX
▲ Inclusion and resource
teachers
▲ District and school grading
and reporting policies
▲ Collaborative Assessment Log
13
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Classroom
Management
Schoolwide
Focus
Questions to Explore
▲ Monitoring of effectiveness
of classroom rules and
procedures
▲ Identification of what’s going
well
▲ Identification of individual
students who may have
special needs
▲ Do your students seem to
understand classroom
rules, procedures, and
norms? What have you
done to help them adapt to
the culture of your
classroom?
▲ What kinds of procedures
are you using to facilitate
smooth transitions?
▲ How would you describe
your relationship with your
students? Your students’
relationships with one
another?
▲ Connecting BT with faculty
members who will be able
to assist with identified
challenges (e.g., resource
teachers, literacy coach,
etc.)
▲ Continued integration of BT
into school-wide culture and
learning community
▲ Assistance (as needed) in
relationship-building with
support staff (e.g.,
instructional coaches,
media specialist, technology
specialist, family
coordinators, etc.)
▲ What have colleagues
done to help you feel
welcomed and a part of our
school community?
▲ What kinds of “outside” (of
your classroom) resources
could help you do a better
job with your students?
▲ What kinds of questions do
you have about our
broader school
community?
Activities/
Strategies
▲ Analysis of data related to
student behavior (e.g.,
tardies, discipline referrals,
etc.) to identify patterns
and/or students who may
need special
attention/strategies
▲ Observation of another
teacher’s class with a focus
on management
techniques, e.g.,
transitions, materials
management, etc.
▲ Reading and discussing an
article related to a particular
area of interest
▲ Informal chats
▲ Walks around school
campus (before and/or after
school) for exercise and to
reintroduce staff, etc.
▲ Joint participation in book
studies and/or other
optional activities
▲ Going together to PTA/PTO
meetings and/or
extracurricular activities
Resources
▲ Colleagues (who may have
special expertise in CR
management or special
insight into a particular
student)
▲ School counselor(s)
▲ Books, articles
▲ Collaborative Assessment
Log
▲ Faculty directory
▲ Schedule of school and
community activities
▲ School support staff,
instructional coaches,
resource teachers and
other specialists
14
Phase 3: Distress—October-Winter Break
Focus
Questions to Explore
Activities/
Strategies
Resources
Personal
▲ Reminding mentee of
importance of taking time for
his/her own health/wellbeing, both physical and
emotional
▲ Answering questions about
formal observation by
principal
▲ Encouraging mentee to
participate in holiday events
with family and friends
▲ Celebrating successes and
special events together
▲ Connecting mentee to other
mentees and/or peers for
purposes of support
▲ What kinds of activities do you
find most relaxing and
rejuvenating?
▲ What parts of teaching are
you finding most gratifying?
▲ Are you connected with other
BTs in our school or other
schools in our school system?
▲ Has our principal scheduled
st
your 1 formal observation?
What questions do you have
about the observation?
▲ Discussion about formal
evaluation
▲ Joint participation in a
volunteer activity (e.g.,
providing Thanksgiving meal
to a needy family)
▲ Conversation with BT about
his/her feelings about being a
member of the profession at
this point in time
▲ Accessibility to BT—informal
check-ins; invitations to chat;
etc.
▲ Journal
▲ Calendar of community
activities
▲ Documentation of evaluation
process
Classroom

Curriculum and
Instruction
▲ Reflecting on student
progress to date
▲ Reflecting on pacing of
curriculum
▲ Identifying students who
may need special
assistance
▲ Focusing on classroomhome communications
▲ How are you feeling about the
progress your students are
making?
▲ To what extent do you feel a
part of your grade level or
departmental team? In what
kinds of collaborative planning
and assessment, if any, have
you been involved?
▲ What have been the
highpoints of this semester?
What have you learned? How
do you hope to build on your
successes?
▲ Focused observations
followed by reflection and
feedback
▲ Sharing of strategies for active
student engagement
▲ Collaborative lesson design
▲ Informal meeting with other
BTs and mentors to talk about
an issue of shared
interest/concern
▲ Reflection centered on
selected segment of Alabama
Continuum for Teacher
Development
▲ Sharing a professional
learning opportunity outside of
the school
▲ Alabama Course of Study
▲ Alabama Continuum for
Teacher Development
▲ District (and/or school)
curriculum and pacing guides
(results of recent curriculum
mapping)
▲ Online resources, including
ALEX
▲ Inclusion and resource
teachers
▲ Collaborative Assessment Log
15

Classroom
Management
Schoolwide
Focus
Questions to Explore
Activities/Strategies
Resources
▲ Fine-tuning of
management procedures
▲ Increasing student
responsibility for their
own behavior and
learning
▲ What’s working well for
you? What would you like
to fine-tune or enhance?
▲ Given that the New Year is
approaching, what kinds of
resolutions would you like
to make? What new
beginnings would you like
to embark on with your
students?
▲ Are there individual
students about whom you
have special concerns?
What ideas do you have
for working with them
and/or their families?
▲ Focused observation of BT
with reflection and feedback
▲ Planning, conducting, and
analyzing student selfassessments of their own
behavior, participation, etc.
▲ Rethinking and fine-tuning
rules and procedures prior
to new year
▲ Books, articles from
professional journal
▲ BT’s documentation of
student behavior issues
▲ Collaborative Assessment
Log
▲ Providing background
and insights into school’s
holiday traditions (if any)
▲ Participation in district
and/or school-based
professional
development
experiences
▲ What questions, if any, do
you have about our school
holiday calendar?
▲ How do you feel about
being a member of this
school community? Are
you beginning to feel that
you really “belong around
here?”
▲ Which support staff
members have been
particularly helpful to you
this semester?
▲ What resources would you
like to tap into next
semester to an even
greater extent?
▲ Joint attendance at special
programs or holiday
performances
▲ Joint participation in
professional development
▲ School professional
development calendar
▲ School and community
calendar of events
16
Phase 4: Renewal—January-April
Focus
Questions to Explore
Activities/
Strategies
Resources
Personal
▲Reinforcing BT’s
successes to date (with
emphasis upon transition
into profession)
▲Reflecting on learnings;
planning for future
▲ Have you started thinking
about next year?
▲ What new goals have you
identified for yourself?
▲ Think about how you’ve
balanced personal and
professional responsibilities
over the course of the year to
date. What have you learned
through this process? What
ideas do you have for better
balance?
▲ Informal conversations
▲ Journaling
▲ Journal
▲ Colleagues in your school
and district
Classroom

Curriculum and
Instruction
▲Consolidating learnings
▲Prepping BT for spring
testing
▲Using student data to make
informed instructional
decisions
▲ Reinforcing positive
instructional and
management strategies
▲ Encouraging reflection to
set new professional goals
▲ What instructional strategies
are working best for you?
▲ What have you learned about
lesson design and
effectiveness to this point in
the school year?
▲ What have you been doing
throughout the year to
prepare your students for
upcoming tests?
▲ Are you aware of your role
and responsibilities during the
testing period? Do you have
an understanding of test
procedures and ethics?
▲ Review of individual students’
progress and analysis of
identified knowledge and skill
deficits; design,
implementation, and
monitoring of learning plan for
identified students
▲ Classroom observation of
mentee focused on student
engagement (might use a
classroom map to chart
student questioning patterns,
on-task behaviors, etc.).
Feedback conference to
analyze data.
▲ Use of student performance
data to design lessons that
incorporate review of key
competencies and skills
▲ Review of state and district
policies regarding testing
▲ Conversation about how to
prepare students (and
parents) for testing
▲ Mentee's class records
including lesson plans,
student performance
charts, grade books, etc.
▲ Books and articles from
professional journals
▲ ALSDE testing dates
▲ ALSDE website
▲ ALEX
▲ Alabama Continuum for
Teacher Development
▲ Collaborative Assessment
Log
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
Classroom
Management
Schoolwide
Focus
Questions to Explore
▲ Continuing conversations
about what’s working
▲ Trouble-shooting
problems and challenges
▲ What progress are your
students making in
managing their own
behavior?
▲ How would you describe
the learning community in
your classroom? To what
extent is your students
demonstrating mutual
respect one to another?
▲ Are there students about
whom you have real
concerns—particularly with
regard to behavioral
issues? What kinds of
conversations have you
had with the school
counselor about these
students? What kinds of
contacts have you had with
their parents or guardians?
▲ Expanding relationships
with school and/or district
staff
▲ Thinking together about
individual responsibilities
to professional learning
community
▲ Are there individuals in our
school or district whom
you’d like to know better?
▲ To what extent have you
begun to feel a part of our
school’s professional
community? What have
you learned from other
colleagues? What gifts are
you bringing to our
community?
Activities/
Strategies
▲ Observations of BT’s
classroom focused on
issues of classroom
management followed by
feedback conference that
promotes reflection
▲ Scheduled reflective
conversations
▲ “Field trips” to central office
or community centers (to
expand BT’s knowledge of
available resources)
▲ Planned conversations
about responsibilities within
a Professional Learning
Community
Resources
▲ Selected books and
journals from professional
journals
▲ School counselor
▲ Collaborative Assessment
Log
▲ Central office staff
▲ Community contacts
18
Phase 5: Hope—April-May
Focus
Questions to Explore
Personal
▲Reinforcing personal and
professional successes
▲Serving as sounding-board
for BT’s hopes and dreams
for the future
Classroom

Curriculum and
Instruction
▲Ending the year on a
positive note
▲Understanding the
importance of year-end
student assessments
▲Considering professional
growth opportunities for the
summer
▲ What plans for professional
learning do you have for the
summer?
▲ How will you celebrate your
collective successes with your
students?
▲ To what extent are you “on
schedule” to reach your
curriculum goals for the year?
▲ What plans are you making for
your students to reflect on
their learnings and growth this
year?
▲ What student engagement
challenges are you facing
since high-stakes testing?

Classroom
Management
Schoolwide
▲Understanding school and
district policies regarding
collection and inventory of
textbooks and other
materials
▲ Understanding of school’s
end-of-year rituals
▲ What kinds of questions do
you have about
“housekeeping” issues for
your classroom?
▲ Consider how you felt as a
student at the end of the year.
What can be done to help
students and families mark
these passages?
Activities/
Strategies
Resources
▲ Informal conversations
▲ Journal
▲ Comparison of curriculum
accomplishments to pacing
guides
▲ Dialogue about the importance
of carefully assessing and
documenting student growth
and achievement so that it
can be communicated to
families and to next year’s
teachers
▲ Dialogue about how to balance
a focus on authentic, higher
level student learning with the
demands of high-stakes tests
▲ Explore potential of developing
and administering an end-ofyear student survey
▲ Conversations about
procedural issues associated
with end-of-year
▲ Alabama Course of Study
▲ Alabama Continuum for
Teacher Development
▲ District (and/or school)
curriculum and pacing guides
(results of recent curriculum
mapping)
▲ Online resources, including
ALEX
▲ Collaborative Assessment Log
▲ Conversations with other
mentees and their mentors
▲ Scheduled dialogue with
mentee
▲ School and community
calendars
▲ School and district policies
and procedures related to
collection, inventory, etc.
19
Phase 6: Reflection—End of School Year
Focus
Questions to Explore
Personal
▲ Encouraging mentee to
think about his/her
sense of personal
fulfillment as a teaching
professional
▲ Demonstrating interest
in mentee’s plans for
summer
Classroom
 Curriculum
and
Instruction
▲ Reflecting on students’
learning
▲ Reflecting on mentee’s
development as a
teacher
▲ Identifying areas for
development
▲ Think about the vision you had for
yourself as a teacher prior to this year.
How did your actual experience compare
to this vision?
▲ What kinds of personal renewal
experiences are you planning for the
summer?
▲ How has this mentoring relationship
“gone for you”? What has been most
helpful? What suggestions do you have
for me as I seek to improve my
performance as a mentor? What advice
do you have for future BTs?
▲ What are your “proudest prouds”
regarding your students’ learning
development this year?
▲ In what areas have you grown and
developed as a teacher this year?
▲ Where would you like to focus your
professional growth in the months to
come?
▲ What have you learned about your
personal leadership style as you have
worked through classroom management
issues this year?
▲ What has worked well for you in this
area? What rules and procedures do you
plan to rethink? What goals do you have
for yourself in this area?
▲ To what extent have you felt assimilated
into our school’s professional learning
community?
▲ (Assuming the mentee will return to your
school) In what areas would you like to
contribute to the broader school
community next year?

Classroom
Management
Schoolwide
▲ Reflecting on classroom
management style
▲ Identifying learnings that
can be carried forward
in planning for next
school year
▲ Mentee’s contribution to
professional learning
community
▲ Mentee’s sense of
belonging to school
community
Activities/
Strategies
▲ Structured
conversations
▲ Review of journal
entries from different
points in the school year
Resources
▲ Journal
▲ Collaborative reflection
using the Alabama
Continuum for Teacher
Development
▲ Structured conversation
▲ Participation in focus
group with other
mentees
▲ (Same as those for
reflection on curriculum
and instruction)
▲ Alabama Continuum for
Teacher Development
▲ Schedule of upcoming
school, district, and
state professional
learning opportunities
▲Conversations
▲ School’s Annual
Calendar of Events
▲ (Same as above)
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