I had no guidance. Now, a local university is stepping in to provide veteran teachers with the mentoring skills they will need to work effectively with student teachers. This summer, the University of Illinois at Chicago's Council on Teacher Education offered mentor teachers a three-day seminar covering such topics as linking education theory to practice, what a good mentor says and does and what the university expects students to gain from their teaching experiences. Roosevelt University held a similar one-time session, but UIC's seminar is believed to be the first extensive training offered for mentor teachers. The program attracted 62 mentors from 40 schools that work with UIC student teachers.
Mentors can either make or break future teachers.
They are key to the learning process. But it's the area that is most often glossed over and overlooked. If the program improves the classroom experience for student teachers, they may be more likely to accept a job in a Chicago public school, Chu adds. But the bottom line is we are trying to prepare as many qualified, good teachers as possible to be in the lives of Chicago public school students. CPS Human Resources Director Carlos Ponce agrees that UIC program for mentors will help him recruit teachers.