State hopes to increase teacher retention through mentorship

TRIPP, S.D. (AP) - As a first-year teacher, Gina Schnabel often worries if she will get “burnt out” in her profession.

But thanks to her mentor and fellow teacher Paul Kuhlman, Schnabel feels confident she’ll remain an educator for years to come.

Schnabel teaches middle school math and science at the Tripp-Delmont School District, while her mentor Kuhlman teaches both middle and high school math and science at the Avon School District.

The two were partnered as part of a statewide mentorship program last fall, when first-year teachers were paired with teachers with at least five years of experience. After initially meeting during the kickoff to the program in November, Kuhlman and Schnabel recently met for the first time face-to-face in Schnabel’s classroom in Tripp, where Kuhlman spent time observing Schnabel.

“When I heard about this program,” Schnabel said, “I thought how great it would be to work with someone from another district who also teaches science that I can collaborate with and I can ask, ’What do you do when you teach this?’ “

Schnabel is halfway through her first year of teaching, while Kuhlman is going on his 29th year. They were paired based on their location, similar grade levels and disciplines.

As a part of the program, the pair is required to meet for at least 34 hours, which includes 18 hours of face-to-face contact. The program was made possible by Senate Bill 133, passed in 2016, which created a work group to assist the South Dakota Department of Education (SDDOE) in development and implementation of the program.

“Our main purpose was just to get new teachers excited about the profession and get them to stay in the profession,” said Matt Gill, with the SDDOE, who oversees the mentoring program. “If teachers are going to drop out or not stay in the profession it’s usually in the first three to five years that they drop out. We really wanted to get them that support early on so that they could see the beauty of teaching and stay with it.”

For this first year, Gill said 58 pairs of teachers were partnered. The program is a two-year commitment, and at the end of the 2016-17 school year, the pairs will gather and reflect on the first year, Gill said. They will also receive additional training and prep for the next year.

The Daily Republic (https://bit.ly/2iz3UNv) reports that mentors participating in the program receive a stipend for their work, but while that is an additional bonus, that’s not the main reason Kuhlman decided to apply for the program. Instead, he reflects on his own experiences as a first-year teacher.

“It was a struggle and especially being in a small school where you have to teach a bunch of classes, I can remember what it was like when I started,” Kuhlman said. ” . I had a lot of people help me out, so you got to continue that tradition. It’s kind of like paying it forward.”

The two talk every Wednesday, and with the start of the new semester they have already begun making plans for Kuhlman to travel to Tripp to observe and for Schnabel to travel to Avon to observe.

Part of the program requires the pairs to set goals for the year. For Kuhlman and Schnabel, they both made a goal to work on curriculum development since they both teach a seventh-grade math class.

Two other goals for the pair include discovering the best way to teach a certain topic, while also getting the best benefit for students. Schnabel said she also wants to develop her own style for behavioral management strategies.

But while the program is to help first-year teachers, Schnabel said she most enjoys simply having someone to talk to.

“Honestly, whenever I get off the phone (with Kuhlman) I kind of have that weight off of my shoulders and I think, ’OK, I’m not alone,’” Schnabel said.

After completing the program, Gill said the new teachers and veterans will have met the state requirements to renew their teaching certificate, which is an added incentive.

Both Kuhlman and Schnabel are thankful for the state’s mentoring program, as it has been very beneficial for both of them and a “very good investment” by the state, Kuhlman said.

“It’s a joy for me to always see people go into the teaching profession,” Kuhlman said. “So I mean to see young people go in and become teachers. I want them to stay and we need them to stay, especially in science education.”

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Information from: The Daily Republic, https://www.mitchellrepublic.com