DISTRICT: Teacher Mentor, 2026/27 School Year (CURRENT INTERNAL APPLICANTS ONLY)

Traverse City Area Public Schools•Traverse City, MI

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position is open to current TCAPS tenured teachers only. The Teacher Mentor role is designed to assist a mentee teacher in becoming successful by focusing on four critical areas: the classroom environment, curriculum, instruction, and emotional support. Mentors act as a professional resource, support, sounding board, and coach to new teachers, ensuring confidentiality except for legal obligations. The mentor is not an evaluator. The program aims to improve teaching performance based on student achievement, promote the personal and professional well-being of teachers, and transmit the culture of the system to the mentee teacher. Mentors will be expected to participate in coaching and mentee meetings outside of the normal work day, providing weekly support in teaching and learning guidance, practical applications, and emotional support.

Requirements

Current TCAPS tenured teachers only.
Master teacher.
Continues to demonstrate excellence in teaching, including, but not limited to, recent positive evaluations.
Maintains proximity to the mentee teacher.
Has compatible knowledge and skills as related to grade level/course assignment of the mentee teacher.
Demonstrated excellence in teaching, use of technology and student achievement growth results.
Availability.
Compatibility of knowledge and skills.

Nice To Haves

The ratio of the mentor to mentee will not exceed 1:2.

Responsibilities

Concentrate efforts in four critical areas: the classroom environment, curriculum, instruction and emotional support.
Provide weekly support in the areas of teaching and learning guidance, practical applications, and emotional support.
Offer expertise in classroom behavior and social/emotional learning.
Provide curriculum support.
Address attendance and grading expectations.
Share district instructional strategies (examples: Project Based Learning; Explicit Instruction).
Guide mentee on using feedback for themselves and students in continuous improvement.
Assist mentee in understanding data and assessment.
Support mentee in building partnerships with parents.
Guide mentee on using district-approved resources.
Provide evaluation and observation support.
Schedule regular time to conference in person and/or virtually with the teacher, at least Bi-weekly.
Maintain a journal of mentor/mentee contacts on Google Docs.
Encourage mentee teacher to join professional organizations and participate in professional learning.
Encourage interactions with district and staff members to help them feel welcome and part of our TCAPS community.
During the mentee’s first year, help maintain the Annual Record of Professional Development.
Give regular constructive feedback in person and electronically.
Exhibit confidence and support for the veteran teacher's decisions.
Make time to listen.
Help find joint solutions to problems.
Treat mentee teacher as a partner.
Support the mentee teacher in taking risks.
Encourage mentee teacher to be involved in activities outside of school.
Remind mentee teacher that all work and no play leads to stress.
Be available to work and to consult with the mentee teacher.
Use technology as a learning and communication tool with parents, staff, and students.
Can be a mentor to more than one mentee in a school year.