The Impact of a Teacher Mentoring Program On The Professional Satisfaction of Selected Veteran Teachers

The purpose of this naturalistic study was to show how a collaborative teacher-mentoring program influenced the professional goals of selected veteran teachers. The specific mentor program studied is a joint effort between the University of Nebraska at Omaha and designated local school districts aimed at the development of first year teachers by lifelong master teachers better known as CADRE Mentors. Using interviews, the investigator focused on four particulars: (1) CADRE Mentor applicants\u27 willingness to cross organizational borders, (2) The influence of personal circumstances and past experiences, (3) Teacher empowerment in relation to teacher satisfaction, (4) Teacher satisfaction and its relation to intrinsic rewards, and (5) The return of CADRE Mentors to their home school districts, as well as the residual impact of the mentoring experience. This investigation discovered that mentors were effected by the CADRE experience in different ways. One informant left the classroom for an administrative position. Another returned to the classroom but requested a position mentoring new teachers at her home school. Finally, a third teacher chose to remain in the classroom full-time. This study found a need for school districts to work closer with universities to help ease the transition of mentoring teachers back into the classroom. It is also important that school districts discover new ways to utilize the expertise of veteran teachers in their efforts to enhance school improvement