Mentoring program helps teachers survive first few years

Brittney Ries has days when she wonders if teaching is the right job for her.  

"Those thoughts run through my mind a lot recently," said Ries, a first-year music teacher at R.F. Pettigrew Elementary School in Sioux Falls. 

Veteran educators say that the first year in a classroom can leave those new to teaching disillusioned, but a new state-funded teacher mentoring program hopes to help new teachers set goals, manage their classrooms and, most importantly, stay in the profession. 

The mentoring program comes from the same package of education laws that raised teacher salaries by 12 percent statewide this year.

More than 150 mentors signed up earlier this year to guide 180 new teachers through their first two years. Pairs met last week to kick off the new program. 

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Longtime Avon math and science teacher Paul Kuhlman said the state has needed a program like this for a long time. Kuhlman has been teaching in Avon for more than 20 years, and he recalls the difficulty of going from student teaching to managing an entire classroom alone. 

"It's really like a snowball rolling down a hill, and you're like, 'How am I going to make it?'" Kuhlman said. 

Tony Hauger, a math and science teacher at Viborg-Hurley Middle School, signed up as a mentor to help the state hit its goal of improving teacher retention. 

Hauger, now in his fifth year of teaching, remembers well his own frustrations and challenges of starting a career in teaching. 

"As a first-year teacher, you have no idea of what your teaching style is," Hauger said. "You're just trying to survive." 

As mentors, Hauger and Kuhlman are working to help their first-year partners to develop strategies to manage time, stay in control of the classroom and find a teaching style that helps students engage in the learning process. 

Mentors in the program went through a training program last month. Pairs will meet for 34 hours over the school year, 18 of which must be face-to-face. 

For teachers like Ries, it's encouraging to have a veteran teacher's support. 

Her mentor teacher, Karla Wahl, is also a music teacher at R.F. Pettigrew. The two collaborate on lesson plans and talk about how Ries is doing in the classroom. 

The pair has already talked about goals for the year, something Ries said is already helping her feel like sticking around.

"That will keep me moving through the year," Ries said. "I have those things to work for and someone that's great to work with." 

Follow education watchdog reporter Megan Raposa on Twitter @mlraposa and subscribe to The Highlighter, an education newsletter for parents.