Woodward+Academy+Response

Mentor-Intern Program
Teachers new to Woodward Academy receive a mentor who teaches the same grade level and subject. These partners work together through the school year in a structured program which offers five SDUs as well as five hours SACS credit. Both partners must participate in 50 instruction or conferencing hours and observe each other in the classroom. Mentors observe experienced teachers three times and teachers with no previous teaching experience five times. Interns observe their mentors three times. After an orientation conducted by the Woodward coordinator and Georgia State University education professor Dr. Dorothy Huenecke, which includes role-playing of pre and post-observation conferences and instruction in clinical observation, partners meet for four extended lunch-hour sessions to discuss topics such as classroom management. The program has been quite successful. Interns receive consistent, structured support as they adjust to the unique climate of Woodward and mentors reassess their teaching methods as they help new colleagues.

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