UW’s College of Education works with state’s teachers to mentor the next generation

Back in June,  the University of Wyoming welcomed the inaugural cohort of the Wyoming Teacher-Mentor Corps (WTMC), an initiative led by the UW College of Education.

The WTMC is designed to foster teacher excellence by creating a network of Wyoming educators who can provide expert support for emerging teachers. The 21 cohort members represent 16 of the state’s 48 school districts — creating a web of expert teacher mentors that spans Wyoming.

While appearing on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse program, Director of UW Institutional Communications Chad Baldwin told listeners a little about this mentoring program intended to help new teachers adapt to a difficult job and lifestyle. 

According to a UW survey led by Mark Perkins, an assistant professor of educational research, 65% of teachers in Wyoming would leave their jobs if they could. With teacher attrition rates in Wyoming around 11% each year, the survey highlighted mental health, lack of teacher support and assessments as major reasons for leaving the field. 

Baldwin said the WTMC will work to tackle each of those issues as new teachers complete their field experiences and enter the first and most challenging phase of their careers.

Shae Lynch teaches fourth grade at Tongue River Elementary School in SCSD #1. She is just one of the many teachers who are participating in the program as a mentor. 

“I am so excited to become a UW teacher mentor and receive training and support to help other educators at all stages of their careers,” she told UW’s press team of the program. “My hope is that I can take my new training and apply it to all relationships and teams in my building. As a building, we all have the same goals, and all teachers need mentorship of some sort.”