Mentoring Program For Durham Teachers Kicks Off This Week

Christine Gebhardt chose teaching as a second career and is committed to helping disadvantaged children succeed. Despite her passion, the former national television news producer knows that 50 percent of her colleagues leave the profession within the first five years. That's why Gebhardt jumped at the chance to participate in a new mentoring program for teachers in Durham Public Schools (DPS) that is sponsored by Duke University.

"I have a lot of enthusiasm because I haven't done it a long time, but you run into so much teacher burnout," said Gebhardt, a 50-something-year-old who has taught English as a Second Language at Durham's Holt Elementary since 2003. "I wanted to get involved in a venue with people who wanted to be galvanized so we could support each other."

The $180,000 initiative, sponsored by Duke's Program in Education and funded by the Office of President Richard H. Brodhead, targets teachers with three to seven years of experience. About 30 teachers per year for the next three years will participate. President Brodhead will greet the first group at a reception May 31 on Duke's campus.

Later this summer, teachers will attend a two-day residential workshop on campus, which will focus on professional growth and teacher empowerment and include stress reduction techniques. Follow-up sessions during the academic year will include seminars by leading Duke scholars on topics such as globalization, Southern history and popular culture. Professors Lisa Wilson Carboni, David Malone, Jan Riggsbee and Susan Wynn from Duke's Program in Education -- all of whom have been K-12 teachers -- will conduct small-group seminars on subjects such as grant writing, teacher leadership, peer mentoring and national board certification. Each teacher will receive a $1,000 stipend.

"We're hoping to have a positive impact on teacher satisfaction and retention," said Riggsbee, director of Duke's Elementary Teacher Preparation Program. "From our research, we've found a large number of mentoring programs for first- to third-year teachers, but very few for teachers after the third year. Opportunities for colleagueship, professional growth and personal renewal are essential for teachers at all stages of their careers."

Fred Williams, executive director of teacher recruitment and retention for Durham Public Schools, said the Duke program will benefit participants in a number of ways. These include giving teachers a network of teachers from a variety of schools, encouraging them to consider leadership positions at their schools and "growing their intellect" through exposure to Duke scholars, he said.

The mentoring program is part of a much larger partnership between Duke and the Durham Public Schools. For more than a decade, Duke has partnered closely with seven schools near campus. This year, in addition to the mentoring program, Brodhead announced Duke would contribute an additional $860,000 to provide scholarships to Duke graduate students who pursue advanced teaching degrees and agree to work in Durham Public Schools for two years, and to fund a program to increase fluency in Spanish among teachers and staff members.

"Durham Public Schools is very grateful to Duke and especially to President Brodhead, who has taken a personal interest in initiatives that support our teachers and students by asking us how Duke can best help," said Carl Harris, DPS deputy superintendent, who will become superintendent on July 1. "Duke's long partnership with Durham Public Schools has proven to be a wonderfully beneficial one, and it becomes stronger each year."   

Gebhardt, who is looking for moral support as she pursues national board certification next year, said she also wants grant-writing tips to raise money for ESL  initiatives.

Programs like Duke's make teachers feel valued and rewarded, Gebhardt said. "I think it's incredible," she said.