Spring Break will be a blessing for most this year—a time to collect our thoughts, reflect on work to complete before the end of May, and to celebrate our health with loved ones. Our TUSD community has endured a great deal this past year, including the difficult loss of colleagues and students which have been our greatest fears. Never before have we needed to work more together to maintain focus, positivity, and optimism for our students and each other…and never before have relationships with students mattered more than they do now. I recognized this over the past year during my Superintendent Student Senates with students in grades 7-12—where many asked to remain after the 1-hour meeting to “just talk” about how they were feeling or share their current circumstances. Sadly, each one apologized for doing such and I reminded them that like me, each of my TUSD colleagues would be honored to spend the time listening and mentoring them, or any other student, because we know the power of connections after a year of being disconnected. Student comments of, “I don’t want to bother anyone,” and “It’s hard for me to talk about it” make me realize how great their internal struggles are and they are doing their best to cope alone. My hope is that our transition to returning more students to campus in April will begin the healing and help reinforce the connections they have made with so many influential educators and coaches—including those students in-person and those who remain in distance learning. It’s important that as adults, we recognize that for many of our students who are not returning to in-person, another adult in their life has likely made that decision on their behalf. Many of these students desire to return but circumstances beyond their control prevent them from doing so. I speak to parents each week who share household dynamics, fears, and beliefs that override their student’s wish to return to in-person with peers. Regardless of the reasons, or the decision-maker, students in our presence, and from afar, need to feel equally important as demonstrated in our words and actions. There’s no doubt that students on a screen will likely feel less engaged, but being cognizant of that and doing our best to try and compensate, will make a significant difference for most. Likewise, providing those who are not present with less screen time, and more independent work time, will also prove helpful…as long as they know and feel valued during their large group, guided practice, and CFU time—it’s a balancing act for sure and not one I believe is easy…but I’m confident, doable. Our students need each of our attention and compassion for the remaining 39 school days—this past year has been a very difficult time in their lives; it’s been equally so for adults and our families. I cannot emphasize enough how imperative it is that we search for, and secure, the necessary fortitude and belief during our time away so we can finish strong for our students and each other.

With this in mind, I am going to continue induction’s We Are Grateful for Our Mentors series. Hopefully, the result will be two-fold. Mentors will see how much their candidates appreciate them, and others will see the positive impact mentors have on the lives of new teachers.

In this issue, we will add Sutton Lucas, Gina Habit, Marileu Miranda, Kim Cabral-Virgo, Launa Miller, Ryan Hollister, and Tina Nunes to our list of mentors being thanked by their candidates. This also provides me with the opportunity to thank all of our mentors for their service and dedication. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing requires at least as much from mentors as it does from candidates. Mentors meet with candidates, keep logs, record themselves mentoring, attend mentor meetings, and reflect on their mentoring skills to set goals. They do all of this in addition to teaching! Mentors are busy and dedicated people who are constantly looking for ways to assist new teachers, and it is my absolute pleasure to work with them. Induction could not exist without the mentors to support our new teachers, so let’s learn about a few:

Gina Habit was an induction candidate during the first year of the TUSD program, and now she is a first-year induction mentor. Here is a word from her candidate: “My mentor has been so incredibly supportive since we were matched at the beginning of the school year. She is a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, and a wonderful advisor. Through sickness (and a literal national pandemic), she has always been one phone call away and I am so grateful for her.” 

Like Gina Habit, Marileu Miranda was an induction candidate three years ago and is now an induction mentor. “I am grateful that my mentor is open-minded, understanding, and a problem solver. I can count on her to give me positive feedback, but also useful constructive feedback. She helps me to be more reflective in all that I do.” 

Kim Cabral-Virgo has played many roles in TUSD, but through each role, she has been a mentor. Kim supports incoming teachers, new teachers, and informally, new coaches. “Throughout the changes we have encountered this school year, having health issues of her own, she has still made time and effort to support me and my colleague. She has created a safe space for venting and support. I am grateful for my mentor.”

Ryan Hollister has mentored induction candidates for the last three years, and he has supported many teachers throughout the district in his role as an instructional coach, as is clear in his candidate’s words, “Thank you for always working so tirelessly to support all of us science teachers. Your work will always have an enormous impact on students and instilling their curiosity in science.” 

Finally, for this edition, we end with Tina Nunes, a new TUSD Induction Program mentor. She currently supports two candidates. “She is kind, wise, thoughtful, and caring. She is there for me in induction but also through life as a friend, teaching partner, and viewed as family. I’m honored to have a mentor who puts so much time and effort into my future as an educator. I ask a ton of questions and she is always there no matter the time.”  

Students should be actively involved in the learning process. Whether you are teaching from behind your desk in your classroom or from a podium at the front, how you design your lessons can involve your students being actively engaged in their learning. Students take an active role in the learning process by being provided with a choice to show their learning: Google slides presentation, flip grid video, podcast, Adobe Spark poster, written essay on Google Docs, illustrative note-taking on slides, etc. Students at home and those in class can be involved in a classroom discussion by pointing the Logitech Meetup Camera at the students, providing a way for students to participate in the dialogue.

Having students collaborate to learn the material through small group instruction is also another best practice. This can be done through breakout rooms with those in class and at home working together, making a video using Screencastify, recording their voices using Vocaroo.com, embedding that audio on a Google Slide, Jig-Saw, Think-Pair-Share through Jamboard, Breakout Rooms, and more! Use the Logitech Meetup Camera while you are at the board explaining how to work in a small group.