Nurturing Spirituality and Vocation: A Catholic Approach to New Teacher Induction

The Catholic school system in Ontario, Canada, is fully funded by the government. Recently Ontario’s Ministry of Education mandated an induction year, the New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP), for all new teachers. This legislation provides an opportunity for Catholic school boards to take the lead and shape creative and effective programs for new teacher induction. The mission of the Catholic school and the vocation of a Catholic teacher give meaning and direction to the new teacher’s professional educational practice. This article first explores some of the pastoral theological concerns that those charged with developing a Catholic approach to NTIP need to consider and integrate into the programs they develop and lead. It then proposes a model for new teacher induction that builds on the insights from pastoral theology and adult learning theory