January is National Mentoring Month. Tyler ISD is proud to celebrate our mentors whose support, wisdom, guidance, and positive examples set our new teachers on a solid path to Successful Student Outcomes.
"During orientation, many of our new teachers say they chose to come to Tyler ISD because of our mentoring program," Professional Learning Facilitator Michelle Stokes said. "It's gratifying to know our program makes us a destination employer. We attract the best and brightest educators interested in being high classroom performers and positively impacting our students."
Currently, Tyler ISD has 154 campus mentors working with new teachers in their first through third years on classroom and time management, planning, goal setting, culture, developing student relationships, and analyzing student work. Our mentors’ impact and achievement show in their impressive first-semester stats. As a group, they dedicated almost 2,000 hours to more than 350 mentees.
Debra Alexander is a current district mentor and retired Tyler ISD teacher supporting beginning teachers at Legacy High School. Alexander has also mentored her children. All four are now in education, including Lauren Smith, principal at Orr Elementary School.
Another retired Tyler ISD teacher, Julie Haley, is a district mentor who supports middle school teachers at Hubbard and Boulter. She's also a substitute at Hubbard and has served on the Tyler ISD Foundation Board for the last six years.
To highlight some of these incredible mentors and their mentees or for more information, contact Jennifer Hines at Jennifer.Hines@TylerISD.org.