Chapter 12: Induction Mentors: Teacher Leaders as Agents of Change and Facilitators of Wellbeing

Induction mentoring as a means to address teacher isolation and retention has captured the attention of policy makers and researchers in both Canada and the United States for more than 30 years (Anderson & Shannon, 1988; Cole, 1991; Cole & Watson, 1991; Darling-Hammond, 2003; Fullan & Connelly, 1987; Glassford & Salinitri, 2007; Moir, 2009; Stansbury & Zimmerman, 2002). New teachers make it abundantly clear that mentoring is one of the most important components of their induction experience (Cherubini, 2007; Frank, 2013; Ingersoll & Strong, 2011; Kane, 2010; Kutsyuruba et al., 2017; Marable & Raimondi, 2007; Walker et al., 2017).

However, the voices of induction mentors, who support novice teachers beyond the pre-service year, are relatively absent. In fact, few studies examine the intricacies of mentoring interactions (Little, 1900b; Harrison et al., 2006), or the actual work of mentors (Hobson et al., 2009). Furthermore, “relatively few studies focus on the influence of induction programs on the mentors” (Hanson, 2010, p. 125) or the challenges of informal teacher leaders in secondary schools. It seems that “... there are not a sufficient number of studies examining the impact of mentoring—neither on mentors’ learning nor on their practice as teachers or as mentors” (Wang et al., 2002, p. 131). In addition, studies exploring how teacher leadership is enacted and supported as a result of professional learning are relatively absent in recent research (Wenner & Campbell, 2017). As informal school based leaders who support novice teachers, mentors, too, are shaped by their experiences. Their voices also have educational interest and value.