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I am a new graduate and have moved to Pa recently. I am wondering if there is are any "new teacher mentor program" for first year teachers in the state? I have found some fellowships during the summer, yet I am looking for a closer buddy system throughout the year. Is it based through each district or through the state?

Hi Christine and welcome to the discussion forums! I live in Illinois, but I went to the PA State Board of Education/Dept of Ed website and found that PA supports mentoring coaches. The website provides information about how the state is trying to provide some uniformity to mentoring programs across the state. I found that PA has an Instructional Coaching Board and a web site for professional development called PIIC . At this second website, I found the podcasts (under NEWS)and online tools (under RESOURCES)very interesting. One of the online tool resources was something called a 'Learning Walk Template'. It shows what principals are looking for as they make a quickie visit to your classroom. Hopefully someone teaching in PA will share what they know. In the meantime, these resources may be helpful to you.
Carolyn

Thank you Carolyn! Your post was very helpful! I often get lost in the PDE website. I will look at your links and see what I can hook up with. Thanks again!

Hi Christine,

Welcome to the teaching profession! I'm glad you found the NSTA Learning Center. It's full of great resources and PD opportunities that you are sure to find useful during your first years of teaching and beyond! Carolyn gave you several excellent new teacher links. Another great resource is the NSTA New Teacher Academy. Although it wouldn't be specific PA, it is a fantastic program that helps set new science teachers up for success.

Be sure to check in and let us know how things are going!

Maureen