A funding surplus has helped School District 43 relaunch a mentoring program for new teachers that's being credited for reducing stress and burnout.
Tamara Sengotta, a learning support teacher, told the board of education last month that the program has just been reintroduced and has drawn the interest of teachers who are either new to the job, new to their grade or are temporary hires filling in at new classes.
"The desire is out there, we just need to get new mentors trained," said Sengotta.
Matching new teachers with experienced ones is having the effect of reducing stress and anxiety, and preventing burnout and disillusionment, which typically occurs around November once the excitement of a new job is replaced with the reality of teaching in a fast-paced learning environment.
Sengotta said it's estimated teachers typically make 1,400 decisions during a six-hour day, or four each minute, the equivalent of an air traffic controller and getting strategies from experienced teachers can help newbies develop a priority framework so they don't have to react to everything with a simple, Yes, No or Maybe.
Money from the district's surplus has gone into training new mentors and providing release time so experienced teachers can visit the classroom of the teacher with whom they have been paired.
Some of the teachers who showed up at the board meeting said they feel supported. "As a new teacher, I was feeling lost," said Natasha Hussein.
Tammy Ferdinandi, who is a mentor, said she wishes a similar program was available when she was a new teacher 27 years ago.
The mentorship program should also keep teachers in the profession, said Sengotta, pointing to statistics showing that B.C.'s teacher attrition rate is 25% to 30%, compared to 1% to 2% in Ontario, where there is a mentorship program.
"A shocking difference," said Sengotta, "That's what we're aiming for here."
