MUSD highlights new teacher mentoring program

As the 2022-23 school year is coming to a close, Maricopa Unified School District highlighted the new teacher mentoring program at a regular Board meeting on April 26.  

The program prioritizes students and staff, by onboarding new teachers and mentoring all employees through user friendly systems and strategies.  

Throughout the district, two full-time mentors work closely with new teachers who are in their first, second, or third year of teaching to provide one-to-one coaching and individualized professional development. 

The site-based mentors are designated on each campus to mentor teachers as the district continues to grow and hire more staff. 

Treva Jenkins works with a group of 24 secondary teachers and emphasizes the importance of a collaborative relationship between mentors, mentees and students. 

“It’s not just the mentees who are benefiting,” Jenkins said. “Mentoring often empowers veteran teachers to grow in their practice by pushing them to be more reflective about their own pedagogue.”  

This past year, Inez Ramirez has worked directly with 25 teachers at the elementary level, meeting with her mentees on a weekly basis to focus on their professional goals, lesson planning, classroom management and more.  

“It is very important that I have a trusting relationship with each of my mentees,” Ramirez said. “I strive to cultivate a space where they feel supported, encourage, uplifted and challenged without judgment.”  

“I am blessed to say that this is my job,” she added. 

Moving forward, the mentoring program hopes to implement another mento for foreign national teachers.

Board member Torri Anderson applauded the organizers and is eager to watch the program develop over the years. 

“I think this is how we are going to keep the longevity in our staff,” Anderson said. “Which is then going to continue our student academic increase. It’s putting all of the pieces together that we – as a board – have been pushing for so long.”