University supervisors, experienced teachers who work in the same school as the intern, and school administrators often serve in this role. Mentors spend a much smaller amount of time in the classroom than master teachers in a student-teaching situation would. University supervisors generally have scheduled observation periods approximately every two weeks, while administrators may stop in on a more random basis. The onus is often on the teacher intern to identify problems or areas for improvement and take them up with a mentor. But sometimes just getting into the job forces you to learn so much faster.
Many programs also offer incentives to experienced teachers to participate as mentors.
The degree of commitment required of mentor teachers varies, but in programs that demand a lot, interns may not be the only ones receiving benefits. They complained that the system in place put unnecessary work on them. But when it was all done, they said that it really helped them refocus their own teaching, that they were better teachers for it, too. The educational program specifically designed for new teachers with experience in their fields, and in life, and the built-in mentoring structure of AC programs are just two of the features that set them apart from other provisional certification measures used to fill vacancies. These aspects of AC programs provide new teachers who haven t completed traditional teacher preparation programs with the opportunity to be successful in their first year in teaching.