Northwest Area Education Education Agency offers high-quality mentoring and induction opportunities for new teachers and their mentors. We provide educators with the tools they need to become successful in the teaching profession.
During our sessions, teachers have the opportunity to network with educators from other school districts, discuss and plan to implement high-yield instructional strategies and unpack the Iowa Teaching Standards. They also engage in ethical scenarios, discuss professionalism, and collaborate with their mentor and other first and second-year teachers on progress through the phases that new teachers experience.
We believe that a solid Mentoring and Induction program is vital to having a quality workforce and retaining the best teachers in Northwest Iowa. Aside from the formal mentoring and induction training we offer through our AEA, we also have other opportunities to support school districts as they work with new teachers.
| Mentoring and Induction Offerings | What it might look like | Dates and Times |
| Northwest AEA Mentor & Induction Training
Program Plan: |
Northwest AEA offers multiple dates and locations for mentors and new teachers to gather for support and learning opportunities. This program is a 2-year commitment in which first and second-year teachers and their mentors meet 8 times from 9:00-2:30. The Northwest AEA mentoring team delivers material that is approved under Iowa Code for Mentoring and Induction and provides ample time for networking and support. | To discuss this 2-year program further, please contact
Kristi Wilshire Northwest AEA’s schedule of dates and locations for the 2023-2024 school year |
| Coaching Cycles for First and Second-year teachers (and teachers who need a third year to acquire their standard license) | Your Northwest AEA mentoring team offers coaching cycles to improve the quality of teaching instruction and student engagement. | To discuss coaching cycle opportunities further, please contact
Kristi Wilshire |
| Mentoring and Induction Check-ins for Mentor Coordinators | Northwest AEA offers check-ins for mentor coordinators who are running their mentoring and induction programs in-district. Your Northwest AEA mentoring team will provide support in the delivery of the Iowa teaching standards, ethics, and instructional strategies, Check-ins can be monthly, quarterly, or yearly based on mentor coordinator need. | Contact Kristi Wilshire
kwilshire@nwaea.org to set up a date and time |
| Coming in the Fall of 2024: Quarterly Zoom check-ins for mentors and new teachers | Northwest AEA is making plans to offer mentors and first and second-year teachers extra support where it is needed through Zoom meetings once a quarter. These voluntary meeting agendas will be based solely on mentor and new teacher choice. Have issues with classroom management? Join the Zoom meeting. Have questions on principal evaluations? Join the Zoom meeting. Want some advice on how to have a tough conversation? Join the Zoom meeting. | Please be on the look-out for more information as we get closer to the Fall of 2024 |
| Re-Imagining Mentoring -
A workshop for Mentor Coordinators who run their mentoring and induction programs in-district |
Are you a mentor coordinator who runs your mentoring and induction program in your district? Are you looking for ideas to include in your program to further enhance the quality of your mentors and new teachers? We will be offering a full-day session in May for mentor coordinators to share their existing practices and look to add new ones. | Please be on the lookout for a link to sign up for this course as we get closer to May. |
| Mentor or Mentor Coordinator Collaboration | Your Northwest AEA mentoring team is available for 1:1 collaboration upon request | Contact Kristi Wilshire
kwilshire@nwaea.org to set up a date and time |
Teacher comments from our mentoring and induction sessions:
- “Thanks for another great session! So much great info and love meeting with other elementary special education teachers.”
- “The little nuggets of information that we can use in our classrooms were great! Thank you for the work you are putting in!”
- “The lessons learned about what goes into a great lesson is awesome. I will make sure to keep those things at the front of my mind when working through my lesson plans.”
- “ALL sessions have been absolutely fantastic and I am SO grateful for all of the information/strategies/etc. I have learned through this course. Thank you!”
- “I can't wait to chat with my instructional coach about other ideas including intervention and our WIN (What I Need) time. There were so many helpful ideas about platforms, tier 1 & 2 teams, etc.”
For more information about the teacher mentoring program at Northwest AEA, please contact Kristi Wilshire at kwilshire@nwaea.org.