Call it mentoring, it happens every day: during lunch breaks or on hallways conversations among teachers continue to inspire others to learn and grow.
In the Public School System, this has resulted in greater gains in student achievement — how teacher mentoring led teachers and schools to step up to the challenges and demands in providing for quality free education. Today, a system-wide mentoring initiative called Project Teacher Mentor has become a venue for which PSS teachers from Saipan, Tinian and Rota to strategize, hone skills and strengthen commitment, while keeping at least one foot firmly in the classroom.
Project Teacher Mentor of PSS has also become a forum for teachers who continue to motivate, drive and inspire their colleagues.
Celina Farrell’s story is an example. Last school year a teacher who transferred from Tinian Junior/Senior High School to Tinian Elementary School sought her help “to show her the ways in handling elementary classes.”
“And, I said to myself: I was in the same situation when I started teaching in 2004. I need somebody to help me out — and yes, I got mentored by a teacher,” said Farrell, a new member of the Project Teacher Mentor for this new school year.
“It was an epiphany for me. I helped a peer, and it led me to appreciate more myself, my profession, and understand how it impact student learning,” she added.
Established between school year 2004-2005, the Project Teacher Mentor of PSS was designed to give teachers the support they need from their fellow educators with the guidance of the education commissioner and PSS leadership, as a whole.
Public school teachers with ample years of experience assist newly hired teachers get abreast about PSS benchmarks and standards, programs, initiatives and priorities geared towards improved student learning.
Today, it mirrors the “pay-it-forward” maxim.
Many studies have shown that while there is a problem with teacher turnover brought about because of “revolving door” of teachers in the U.S., mentored teachers not only stay in the profession longer than other teachers, but they achieve growth and learning. Within PSS, it is “logically appropriate” to say that there is professional growth among public school teachers, says Steve Smith, a long-time educator who is coordinator for PSS’ Language Arts Program.
“This is one of the remedies that effectively addresses teacher attrition. The effectiveness of teacher mentoring increases their morale, and logically it has,” said Smith, who is among the pioneer members of the program.
“The commissioner of education is very focused, and she wants to see to it that a structured, resource-assisted program is in place that can be sustained in the years to come,” adds Smith, revealing that the PSS leadership has taken a step further in expanding the Project Teacher Mentor this coming school year.
Building local capacity
During yesterday’s Project Teacher Mentor gathering at the Tanapag Head Start Center, about 50 classroom teachers, school administrators and program managers exchanged ideas to further improve the program. And of the number, about 30 are new teacher mentors.
Education Commissioner Rita Sablan said the intent of the program is to invest in human capacity, by tapping teachers’ expertise as support factor for PSS’ ongoing initiative to build local capacity.
“What does this really mean to us? It is about building local capacity and being a support system to you colleague,” Sablan said.
“PSS has become the best organization in the CNMI partly because of our teachers — and their second role as support factor to their colleagues,” she pointed out.
With the planned expansion of the program, the education chief wants to hear directly from the teacher mentors, through the program to address, among others, issues such as “retention” and “expectations” of teachers, school administrators and educational policy-makers and leaders.
“I commend you for taking on the challenge to make an impact on the lives of our children. Thank you for choosing to be a mentor this year,” Sablan said.
Making a difference
For Armie Atalig, it is about making a difference as her reason of joining the program.
After teaching for 10 years now (six years at Sinapalo Elementary School and now on her fourth year at Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Junior High School), it was only this coming school year that she decided to join Project Teacher Mentor.
“I strongly believe that other than it has to do with what I have studied, I want to learn more of what teachers do in providing help with fellow teachers,” Atalig separately said.
Mentoring, however, is not new to her. She has been assisting her co-teachers for years now.
“That is why I was surprised when my sister-in-law prodded me, ‘Why not join the Project Teacher Mentor?’ since I was doing informal mentoring already,” shares Atalig, who upon the invitation of her school’s interim principal, Annette Calvo, she jumped on the opportunity.
“It is about time for me to share all those investment of PSS to us teachers, through professional development programs and trainings over the years to our colleagues,” adds Atalig, who is humbled by the opportunity.
Kimberly Bolte arrived on Tinian four years ago as a newly recruited teacher from Montana.
“My basic reason in joining was when I first moved to Tinian, I did not have (a mentor) which was a struggle for me,” said Bolte, citing how cultural differences and being completely new to the island initially impacted her teaching career.
Today, four years into teaching at Tinian Junior/Senior High School, she found fulfillment being a mentor.
“Technically teachers are mentors and we learn from each others. But it is only in giving that we value learning — and, giving or sharing our knowledge to our peers, we can say there’s fulfillment,” she noted.
Dionne Santos, principal of Tinian Elementary School was among the pioneer teacher mentor program for Tinian. And by her own words, the program is reflective “of the expectations of us teachers to get involved.”
“You can definitely offer a lot more through this program, including administrators who play critical role that is why it is essential that they be involved all the time,” said Santos.
For Jeanniffer Cubangbang, another PSS program manager, experienced teachers serve as inspiration to their peers.
“There is a feeling of contentment that we feel and see that we make a difference not only in student learning but in the growth and learning of our fellow teachers,” she said.
