Welcome to the DeForest Area School District Mentor website. As a district we are committed to working with you to make this year of teaching successful for you and beneficial for our students. Our district is a member of the New Teacher Center of Wisconsin. Through this affiliation we have developed a supportive and comprehensive mentor program for beginning staff in our district. To visit the Wisconsin New Teacher Center click on this link. "As the district mentor I look forward to walking beside you through this school year. It is my hope that through our mentoring program you will feel empowered to be the best teacher you can possibly be." ~ Cindy Rosch 
| | New Teacher Orientation-August Your first two days at DeForest Area Schools are planned to introduce you to people and procedures you will need to know to start the school year. These busy, high energy days are also planned to allow for building relationships. | | | | | | | 
| | Monthly Seminars Each month you can expect to attend one seminar with the others in your new teacher group. These are usually held from 3:30 - 4:30. Content of the seminars will be based on your needs as the year unfolds, the Wisconsin Teacher Standards and trends in education. Time is set aside for sharing the joys and sorrows of "First Year Teaching". | | | | | | | 
| | Individual Meetings Twice each month your mentor will meet with you privately. These meetings provide a time for you to seek information about the district, ask for help solving problems in your classroom, and reflect on how your teaching is going. | | | | | | |  | | Points for Participation Deforest Area Schools has a system in place that enables you to earn "points" that can be converted to credits for advancement on the pay schedule. Your participation in the mentor program through the upcoming year will earn you these points. | | | | | | |  | | Moodle Discussions We use an online discussion tool called "moodle" as part of our mentor program. This tool is also available for you to use with your own students. In the past this discussion tool has been used for book talks, sharing our observations of veteran teachers, and sharing cool classroom organization hints. | | | | | | |  | | Classroom Observations During this school year the mentor will observe your classroom in an effort to help you refine your skills as a teacher. You will meet before the observation to share what you might want the observer to look for and after to talk about what the mentor observed. This is a nonevaluative observation and should be a comfortable setting for stepping back and thinking about your progress. | | | |
|
|
Last Updated: Thursday, 29 January 2009
|
