By early February, one of my mentees was still carrying the exhaustion she had first named months earlier. She was a first-year teacher in an integrated co-teaching (ICT) classroom, balancing graduate coursework, lesson planning, grading, family responsibilities, and the daily pressure of learning how to survive in a new school system.
As her mentor, I recognized the hesitation. Not because I could know exactly what she was thinking, but because I had seen that pause before: the carefulness that comes when a new teacher wants support but is also learning which questions feel safe to ask. Her hesitation was not about confidence or competence. It reflected the weight of navigating a system that asked her to grow but did not always make enough room for her questions.
As a first-year teacher, navigating collaboration with veteran educators while still learning how to make it through the school day. She taught all morning, attended graduate classes in the evening, studied and graded papers on weekends, and tried to stay present for her family somewhere in between. She believed in inclusion. She believed in collaboration. But every time she asked a question, the room shifted—subtly, but noticeably.
She wanted mentorship. She valued support. Yet some days, everything designed to help her felt like one more thing she had to carry.
Her experience is not unique. Teacher surveys from the past year indicate that early-career educators continue to cite unclear expectations, emotional exhaustion, and inconsistent support as major contributors to burnout and attrition (RAND Corporation 2024; Steiner et al. 2024). Mentorship is often positioned as the solution—but rarely do we examine how mentorship is structured, sustained, or supported in practice.
This is the quiet part we don’t say out loud: mentorship is treated as a role, not a practice. And when mentors are expected to “just know” how to support others without training, time, or feedback—both new teachers and the educators guiding them are left navigating uncertainty, often in silence.
Mentorship is Often Assumed, Not Supported
Mentorship is not only a relationship between two educators; it is a structural responsibility that requires protected time, clear expectations, and administrative support. For many beginning teachers, mentorship is introduced as a given. You are told who your mentor is, when to meet, and what the relationship is supposed to accomplish. What is rarely explained is how mentorship should function, or what happens when it doesn’t.
In practice, mentors are often selected based on seniority or availability, not preparation. While many are skilled educators, mentoring requires a distinct set of skills: reflective listening, questioning, modeling vulnerability, and supporting adult learning. Research on teacher induction and mentoring also shows that strong mentoring programs can support teacher commitment, instructional practice, and retention when they are implemented with intention and structure (Ingersoll and Strong 2011). Yet mentors are frequently asked to take on this responsibility without training, protected time, or opportunities for feedback—on top of full instructional loads.
This gap matters. When mentorship is treated as a checkbox rather than a sustained practice, new teachers may interpret silence as personal failure, while mentors quietly absorb responsibility without support. Over time, this dynamic contributes to burnout on both sides—particularly in inclusive settings like ICT classrooms where collaboration is complex and expectations are often unspoken.
What Supported Mentorship Actually Looks Like
Effective mentorship does not require perfection or having all the answers. It requires intention, consistency, and shared responsibility. For early-career educators, supported mentorship often includes:
When these elements are present, mentorship becomes a space for growth rather than self-doubt.
What Schools Can Do Starting Now
Supporting mentors does not require sweeping reform. Small, intentional structures can significantly strengthen mentorship systems and teacher retention.
These shifts communicate that mentorship is valued work—work that deserves structure, preparation, and care.
What New Teachers Can Advocate For
While systemic change is essential, early-career educators can also engage mentorship more intentionally. New teachers benefit from:
Advocacy does not require confrontation. It begins with naming needs and recognizing when support structures require strengthening. New teachers should not have to wait until they are overwhelmed to ask for mentorship. Requesting support early on is not a sign of weakness, but a professional step toward advocating for what you need before the need becomes urgent.
Rethinking Mentorship as a Shared Responsibility
Mentorship is not a trait someone either has or does not have. It is a practice—one that develops with intention, feedback, and support. When mentors are supported, new teachers benefit. When new teachers feel safe to ask questions, schools become more sustainable places to work.
If mentorship is going to work, schools must build the conditions for it, and teachers must feel permission to ask for it before the need becomes urgent. Furthermore, if we want mentorship to truly support early-career educators, we must stop treating it as an informal expectation and start recognizing it as essential professional work—worthy of investment, accountability, and care.
Resources for Educators
References
Ingersoll, Richard M., and Michael Strong. “The Impact of Induction and Mentoring Programs for Beginning Teachers: A Critical Review of the Research.” Review of Educational Research 81, no. 2 (2011): 201–233.https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654311403323
Steiner, Elizabeth D., Ashley Woo, Brian Doan, and Rebecca Wolfe. Restoring Teacher Well-Being: Findings from the 2024 State of the U.S. Teacher Survey. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2024.https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1108-12.html
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Alexis L. Hamlor, Ed.D. is an educational leader, author, and scholar-practitioner who has worn many hats in education, including teacher, instructional coach, mentor, writer, and former Dean of Special Education. With over a decade of experience in New York City public and charter schools, her work focuses on teacher development, culturally responsive teaching, inclusive instruction, co-teaching, and sustainable professional learning systems that strengthen collaboration, reduce educator burnout, and improve practice for diverse learners. Her academic and practitioner work has reached U.S. and international audiences through outlets including AASA, Education Canada, The Teaching Professor, and TEACH Magazine. Follow her work on Substack and Medium at TheHonestInfluencHER. |