Early experience with mentor teachers is critical for teachers in training, writes Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development at Peabody, in today’s Tennessean.
“At my college, our students begin working in schools early in their studies and continue through their student teaching experience the last semester before graduation. Along the way, they are exposed to the challenges of urban education, working with English language learners and teaching students with special needs.
“They learn to meet these challenges under the tutelage of teachers with years of experience and wisdom. These mentors help them transfer the theories they learn on campus into practical classroom strategies and to devise solutions to problems that teachers face every day.”