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Thirteen teachers in the Montana Rural Teacher Project earned their Master of Arts in Teaching degrees in May. Nearly all of these newly minted educators are hard at work and settling into school placements this fall. These new teachers are supported by a strong group of mentors who truly represent the populations served by the Montana Rural Teacher Project. New MRTP mentors are currently teaching in rural communities (Dutton, population about 300), remote communities (Eureka, 9 miles from Canada), and distant communities (Bainville and Darby separated by 660 road miles). The map pictured above shows the location of both MRTP mentors and mentees across Montana.
Mentors in Cohort 2 teach everything from kindergarten to high school English and science. They've worked in multi-grade classrooms and virtual classrooms. Among them are award winners, National Board-certified experts, and dedicated rural educators with decades of experience. The new MRTP teachers are in good hands! These mentor partners are joining last year's continuing MRTP cohort to share the same virtual "Home Base" on OPI's Teachers Learning Hub. Mentors from both cohorts also attend monthly "Mentors Only" meetings to network and learn from each other.
Newly placed MRTP teachers are assigned a mentor for their first two years of teaching. But the power of mentoring will continue to expand in years to come as our mentors rotate into working with other new and underprepared Montana teachers though related programs.
For more information about K-12 mentoring options in Montana, contact Jennie Luebeck
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