Elevate your impact as a mentor! This DPI-approved training is designed specifically for teacher mentors to satisfy the requirements of Wisconsin Administrative Code sec. PI 34. This introductory experience provides mentors with the foundational knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to begin their critical work supporting new colleagues.

Mentoring Essentials is a facilitated professional development experience that moves beyond minimal district requirements to explore research-based mentoring practices. Participants will dive into the DPI Induction & Mentoring Guidebook to understand how comprehensive support systems improve teacher retention and student outcomes.

Key Topics and Learning Outcomes

During this training, you will:

• Define the Mentor’s Role: Understand your impact on student success and identify specific elements within your control to strengthen.
• Master Adult Learning: Learn to support adult learners who are self-directed and problem-centered, requiring a different approach than classroom pedagogy.
• Build and Repair Trust: Explore the “4 As” (Assess, Acknowledge, Apologize, Action) to repair broken trust and identify specific “Trust-Builders” to create a safe, confidential environment for growth.
• Assess School Culture: Use research-based frameworks to evaluate your school’s integrated culture and its support of beginning teachers.
• Navigate Varying Teacher Needs: Develop strategies to support teachers arriving from diverse licensure pathways, including those on emergency licenses.
• Anticipate the “Phases of First-Year Teaching”: Learn to provide timely support as teachers move through the predictable stages of Anticipation, Disillusionment, and Rejuvenation.
• Lead Collaborative Conversations: Practice a strengths-based protocol that moves away from “telling” and toward co-constructing solutions to increase teacher capacity.
• Set Actionable Goals: Use the Mentor Practice Standards to identify your own strengths and areas for focused growth.