Teachers teaching teachers

MAT-SU -- Book knowledge is one thing, but standing in front of a classroom packed with energized students on the first day of school can be an overwhelming experience for first-time teachers.

New teachers often feel alone, unprepared for classroom social dynamics and overburdened with the prospect of grading mounds of handouts, worksheets and test papers.

Staff Development Coordinator Patricia Truman works for the Mat-Su Borough School District in implementing the Alaska Statewide Teacher Mentor Project, which is aimed at addressing some of these needs by matching new teachers with seasoned master teachers.

According to Truman, teachers who are mentored in their first year are less overwhelmed and more likely to return the following year.

"We know that in the past, Alaska has had a huge recruitment problem with teachers," Truman said. "It's a nationwide problem, but with the mentoring program we don't see as many Mat-Su teachers moving out of district."

The one-year program is offered through a partnership between the Department of Education and the University of Alaska, to help teachers develop instructional strategies, classroom management skills and a deeper understanding of the most important things they need to teach.

"As a new teacher you're just in survival mode," Truman said. "In the program, teachers learn what is most important in terms of content. You have to condense the information and teach what is most important. You can't cover every aspect of the Civil War."

The program also deals with intangibles like how to effectively arrange classrooms for maximum learning and how to talk to parents and deal with the community. Another important aspect of the program is orienting new teachers to the community. Truman said many teachers come from out of state and don't even know where to get a haircut or where to vote.

"We try to deal with the whole person," Truman said.

The Mat-Su Borough has had its own local teacher mentoring project for the last eight years, with more than 1,000 teachers participating during that time. This year, the borough will scale back its mentoring program and use it more as a supplement to the new statewide program.

Rhett Buchanan was a first-year teacher at Teeland Middle School last year, where he taught math and science.

"I was learning a new math program and my mentor helped a lot with classroom management issues, dealing with students who didn't do their homework and other procedural things," Buchanan said. "She had a smooth- running classroom and I picked up a lot of tricks that I used right away."

Buchanan said his first year teaching was overwhelming at times but his mentor was only three classrooms down and he consulted her often.

"You can learn about theories of teaching all you want but before you actually sit down and teach, you won't learn how to teach," Buchanan said. "I learned things that no college program can prepare you for."

Gena Auldridge, who now teaches English and creative writing at Colony High School, had her first full-time teaching job at Wasilla High School last year. Auldridge said her mentor helped her get organized, and she feels much more prepared this year.

"The paper load is unbelievable," Auldridge said. "Someone outside the classroom has no clue about the paper load."

Auldridge's mentor also helped her deal with the daily moods of kids.

"My mentor was helpful and nurturing," Auldridge said. "It was nice having a teacher who had taught for a number of years, drawing off her experience."

Truman said the mentors receive a small stipend for their services but not nearly enough to compensate them for all the work they do.

According to Truman, the mentoring programs are working for new teachers.

"We've been able to document that at least 90 percent stay in the district as teachers," Truman said. "I had 30 mentees last year and only two left."

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.