Mentor Teacher Resources
Mentor teachers are essential to the success and retention of new teachers in K-12 schools.
To qualify to be a mentor teacher, you must have:
- 3+ years of teaching experience
- Highly effective teaching practices, as demonstrated by evaluations consistently rated effective to highly effective
- Active classroom with regular student interaction
- Passion for teaching and sharing the profession with students
Mentor teachers support students in the Teach@Mines courses K-12 Early Field Experience, Capstone I – Practicum, and Capstone II – Student Teaching. Learn more about each course the the expectations for mentor teachers and students below.
K-12 Early Field Experience
Students enroll in 1-3 credits each semester. The course is repeatable, and students must complete 3 credits to meet licensure requirements. Per credit, the course requires 25 hours of classroom experience. A mentor teacher can host a student for 25, 50, or 75 hours depending on how many credits the student is enrolled in.
Learn more about K-12 Early Field Experience Expectations for both the student and mentor teacher.
Capstone I – Practicum
Students complete ~100 hours of classroom participation over the semester. During this semester, the student will be responsible for planning and teaching at least five periods of classroom instruction as well as participating in other school related professional roles. This course requires the mentor teacher and the student’s Mines instructor to complete evaluations and observations of the student.
Learn more about Capstone I – Practicum Expectations for both the student and mentor teacher.
Capstone II – Student Teaching
Students complete ~400 hours of classroom participation over the semester. During this semester, the student will be expected to assume full-time teaching responsibility for at least five weeks as well as participate in other school related professional roles. This course requires the mentor teacher and the student’s Mines instructor to complete evaluations and observations of the student.
Learn more about Capstone II – Student Teaching Expectations for both the student and mentor teacher.