Ask a veteran teacher what adjectives come to mind when thinking of “that first year” and you will likely hear “overwhelmed,” “stressed” or “anxious.” Most teachers enter the classroom filled with passion and excitement, and as the year progresses feel increasingly overwhelmed by the numerous responsibilities and tasks that are inherent in teaching. With the goal of supporting new teachers, the NTC (New Teacher’s Center) of Santa Cruz, CA was formed in 1998. NTC is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of new teachers. It is renowned for its comprehensive, research-based instructional mentoring and professional development programs. NTC is one of the most innovative, impactful, non-profits in the country, and has won almost every award in the U.S. for social innovation and scalability. Ten years ago, a new division of NTC was created to target Jewish Day Schools. JNTP (Jewish New Teachers Project) partners with a broad spectrum of Jewish schools in a manner respectful of each school’s philosophy and approach.
This past year, Bruriah educators Mrs. Sherry Krupka (assistant principal) and Mrs. Zehava Greenwald (junior high coordinator) were chosen to be trained as mentors through JNTP. Mentors attend six professional learning academies over two years and partake in monthly forums for the first two years. Mentors meet with their new teachers on a weekly basis, and visit the classrooms of their new teachers regularly.
The JNTP model focuses on reflection and self-evaluation. Zehava Greenwald comments, “This past year has been one of tremendous growth for me. JNTP is highly professional, and I am so grateful to have joined this incredibly valuable program. In addition to working with my new teacher and focusing on her goals, I have integrated some new methodologies in my classroom as well. Concentrating on the language of teaching standards, collaboration and professional development has strengthened our school culture.”
Katya Ratushnyuk, the 10th and 11th grade Spanish and Russian teacher, was mentored by Zehava Greenwald this year. Here are some of her reflections: “I find this professional development program very helpful. Having Mrs. Greenwald as a mentor influenced my understanding of some educational processes and overall school culture. I have grown as a teacher this school year by acquiring lots of classroom management skills.”
It is not surprising that almost 90% of JNTP-mentored beginning teachers are in the field of Jewish education long-term, compared to the national beginning teacher five-year retention rate of 50%. After a year of observing the great benefits of this mentoring program, Bruriah is looking forward to partnering with JNTP in years to come.
