Eleven teachers have recently completed the new teacher induction programme. The two-year programme is designed to assist new teachers as they meet the challenges of the contemporary classroom. Mentors are assigned to ensure that during their first two years of teaching inductees receive on-going coaching, professional development and support.
The foundation of the mentor programme is built on a commitment to meet the individual and collective needs of new teachers entering the teaching profession for the first time. Research and experience have shown that the new teacher will have numerous concerns and needs with which they will require assistance. The unsolicited skill of the mentor is required to affect an atmosphere of reflection where inductee and mentor can engage in identifying concerns and build upon strengths.
Minister of Education, The Hon. R. Wayne Scott JP, MP congratulated the group for completing the two-year programme and said, “Teaching, as most in the profession know, requires a highly complex set of skills and abilities. In our fast-paced, technological society, many brand new teachers are faced with an arduous task in the classroom. As Minister of Education, I want you to know that I am strong advocate for professional development. I believe learning and training should be an ongoing process. It is my sincere hope that these past two years and have been most beneficial for your personal and professional development. As Teachers, administrators and leaders we must be committed to the basic components of providing quality a curriculum while ensuring that our teachers can effectively deliver that curriculum and improving overall accountability.”