Mentoring is necessary for new teachers, yet time is short, and we are unclear what the needs are for new educators.  Based on an interview with a first year teacher, many factors contributed to frustration, feeling ineffective, emotional exhaustion, inability to handle classroom behaviors and disrespect.  Questions came up: how to initiate relationships with students who don’t trust you? How to stay healthy-mentally and physically?  How to manage my time better in order to keep up with the constant demands of administration, teammates, parents, and students?  

Discussions and journal entries will be based on answers to these questions focused on the podcast Jump Start! What Teachers Need Now.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Prepare a year long schedule to ensure their own physical and mental health.
• Create an action plan for next year based on ideas from the class content as well as classmates. 
• Respond effectively to a complex, and ever changing environment. 
• Identify areas they need support in order to teach well.
• Understand the importance of structure for ourselves and our students.