Obama the Mentor
Unfortunately, one of the biggest fears of those considering teaching as a possible profession is an uncertain professional environment when finally entering the classroom.
A big worry for most who are interested in the profession is whether there will be a support group on school grounds willing to help a new teacher learn the ropes. More often than not, public schools are riddled with apathetic educators who are settled in their ways of teaching and are unwilling to see the big picture, and consequently, unwilling to put out that extra effort to help new teachers acclimatize to a foreign environment.
However, things are about to change..
“To support our teachers, the Obama-Biden plan will expand mentoring programs that pair experienced teachers with new recruits. They will also provide incentives to give teachers paid common planning time so they can collaborate to share best practices.” Obama’s new education agenda
President Obama has pledged to create a better system of education and an infrastructure enabling new educators to incorporate their passion for educating tomorrow’s leaders. The changes stated in the new administration’s education plan displays foresight representing a more efficient and effective system of educating and preparing our country’s youth.
The development of universal mentoring programs adds a missing link into the process of educating educators. Many states have already incorporated some semblance of the mentoring concept; however, the adoption of teacher mentoring as a mandatory step toward the completion of an educator’s inception into the profession will give a much needed emphasis to continuing education.
As a positive fallout for better preparing teachers to succeed will certainly be an alleviation of anxiety for many who are considering teaching as a future career option. In the end, this is what we truly need, more highly skilled and highly motivated people teaching our youth.