Teacher Mentor Training: Opportunities for Feedback and Participation

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is committed to supporting the growth and development of educators through teacher mentorship opportunities. The following two opportunities are available for Maine educators to provide feedback about and participate in improving mentorship across our state.

Mentoring in Maine Schools Survey:

Teacher leaders from the 2024 County Teacher of the Year cohort have announced a new initiative called the Mentoring in Maine Schools Survey, aimed at supporting and elevating Maine teachers across all career stages. To help build a strong and effective mentoring network, this cohort is asking for valuable input from all teachers and administrators across Maine. Please take a few minutes to complete this short survey here. If you do so, you will be entered to win one of three $50 Amazon gift cards.

Your responses will help to:

• Identify the mentoring needs of Maine teachers,
• Develop a comprehensive mentoring program that meets your specific requirements, and
• Connect you with potential mentors or mentees.

Thank you in advance for your time and participation. Your feedback is crucial to the success of this project!

The Maine Department of Education's Teacher of the Year program is administered through a partnership with Educate Maine. For more information about the program, visit http://www.mainetoy.org.

Regional Mentor Training (coming soon):

The Maine DOE is pleased to announce there will be regional mentor training opportunities this school year. Recently, the Maine DOE's mentor training was updated to include current research and best practices, building upon prior collaborative work with teacher leaders, administrators, and higher education partners. This training will continue to be refined utilizing feedback from the Mentoring in Maine Schools Survey.

Regional mentor training will consist of an initial one-day, in-person session, followed by two virtual two-hour sessions later in the year. This scaffolded approach comes in response to valuable educator feedback and provides a more customized just-in-time learning experience.

Contact hours will be awarded for training. Mentors will also be offered access to a Mentor Community of Practice to network and share resources. Training dates and locations will be announced soon, and the updated resources will be available to school administrative units (SAUs) that wish to provide local support and training to new mentors.

Mentors serve a critical role within their schools, and we appreciate their ongoing dedication to supporting new educators. Current mentors have been crucial to the education profession; each individual mentor has made a significant impact.

Support for new educators through mentoring and induction is a key strategy outlined in the Teach Maine framework to develop, support, and sustain Maine's education workforce. We are encouraged by and thankful for those educators who enthusiastically become mentors. We are currently developing a refresher course for experienced mentors who are interested in engaging with our new training materials.

If you would like to be notified of mentor training dates, are interested in hosting a regional training, or have any questions, please reach out to Maine DOE Educator Excellence Coordinator Christina O'Neal at [email protected] or 207-441-8461.