A GUIDING HAND

Left to right: Juan Ortega, Marlene Hodges and Natalie Trinoco. Left to right: Enrique Lopez, Ryan Owens, and Catherine da Roza Michels.

Mentors in Special Education Programs help new teachers and instructional assistants find their way

Making the transition to a new job in a new field isn’t easy. Starting that job in education during the COVID-19 pandemic can make it a lot harder to feel grounded in a new environment.

When Natalie Trinoco joined the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) Special Education Programs team as an instructional assistant (IA) in August 2020, instruction was still all online. It would be another month before health and safety guidance changed and Special Education Programs began welcoming students back in the classroom in small groups.

Right at the start, Trinoco thought she would feel disconnected, only seeing her new world through a computer screen. But she wasn’t alone. She had Marlene Hodges -- a fellow instructional assistant who volunteered to guide Trinoco through her transition as part of the instructional assistant mentorship program.

“She was such a lifeline to me,” Trinoco said, describing how Hodges was always there for her to provide basic information, career advice, or just to listen. It helped Trinoco when in-person instruction resumed, too, and in the months that followed.

Trinoco felt more than comfortable with the new job. She fell in love with working with students.

“I really love working with the kids, spending time with them, being with them every day, and seeing all the positive changes,” she said. Whenever there is a new IA hired, they have a choice to join the mentorship program for the first year on the job. Then they are connected with a seasoned IA who has volunteered to take on this responsibility.

“Being an instructional assistant is all about passion for the work with students,” said Hodges, who has been an SJCOE IA for more than 10 years. “You’re going to learn really quickly whether or not it’s for you if you have the right support system. And it really is a work of love,” said Hodges, who kickstarted the creation of the program about three years ago to mirror the mentorship program for teachers in the Special Education Programs.

In practice, part of being a mentor is to help someone new understand the job

and to learn the ropes of the organization. Another aspect of it is to provide emotional support -- to be a place to vent and find encouragement and advice, Hodges said.

The value of mentorship has been especially clear in recent years. “Education is changing so rapidly now due to circumstances of the pandemic. So having that person to say: I’m here for you. What do you need? How can I help you? That’s a big deal,” she said.

Teacher Mentorships

Ryan Owens is a first-year teacher at the SJCOE’s Redwood School. His students are ages 15 to 22 in an extensive support needs (ESN) classroom.

“Being able to have a mentor through the program has really helped me -- as a first-year teacher - grow in ways I never thought I could, both inside the classroom and outside of the classroom,” he said. “It really helped me become a better teacher.”

“Having that person there supporting me has really helped me become the teacher I am today, and hopefully will be in the future, too.”

He’s been an instructional assistant and substitute teacher for the past six years, but now he is a fulltime teacher. One piece that Owens said has helped him the most has been assistance with paperwork, such as the individualized education plans (IEPs) that are an important, though time consuming, part of the job of a special education teacher.

That help means he has been able to have more time to focus on teaching and his students, he said.

Overall, Owens said his first year on the job has made him confident he made the right career choice, and the mentorship support was a part of that.

“I’m enjoying this. It’s been a blast, especially learning about the different kids’ personalities in my classroom. It’s been fun; I’ve really enjoyed it,” he said.

His mentor at Redwood School has been Catherine da Roza Michels, a veteran teacher of 15 years who has been at Redwood for about five years. Helping new teachers is something she’s done unofficially throughout her career. Making it official as part of a mentorship program means she’s been able to help, even more, she said.

The official connections help the new teacher feel more comfortable reaching out and asking for help, even if it is just to have a question or two answered.

“My biggest thing that I always tell them is you need to know your students and get a good rapport with the parents. Always have good contact with the parents,” da Roza Michels said. “Keep up that back and forth, so the parents know you are there to help their students.”

She likes doing the mentorship work. “I like helping someone who wants to be helped to be better at their job and make it easier for them instead of struggling,” she said. “If a new teacher is struggling, then how can they spend their time and emotion on the children?”

Enrique Lopez is the Redwood School administrator, but on his way to that position, he had been an instructional assistant, teacher with a mentor, and a teacher-mentor himself.

As a mentor, Lopez said he would first look to see how he could help teachers in a few fundamental ways in the classroom. This entailed looking at the visuals on the walls, how the students were grouped, and how the day was scheduled. A tightly scheduled classroom can be an essential factor, especially for students with autism who need the structure, he said. Technical support is important, Lopez said, but so is the emotional support.

“It’s just being there to walk them through their challenging days and let them know that there are some hard days, but all your hard work will pay off,” he said. “And you will feel rewarded when your students meet their goals.”

Recruitment and Retention

Support in the form of mentorship programs or encouragement to career advancement can help attract new employees, then help them find their love for the work.

At the latest SJCOE recruitment fair for new employees, Hodges was there to talk to prospective colleagues about the mentorship program.

She was joined by Juan Ortega, who worked with Hodges to start the IA program and coordinate mentors until he made the change to a teacher this year. When Hodges first told him about the idea for the mentorship program, he said he knew he wanted to be a part of it. “I said if I can help somebody love the job as much as I do -- I’m all for it.”

Once somebody feels comfortable with the job and the students, they can start to realize how rewarding it can be to see how the students grow.

Educators cherish those “a-ha moments” when they see students show they grasp something taught to them.

“There have been a lot of a-ha moments,” Trinoco said. She remembers one student who was just learning how to communicate using signs. “It’s beautiful to see how he had gone from his own way of communicating to learning sign and being able to communicate with us -- and to see him do it on his own,” she said.

“We look back and say: Wow, remember when they first came,” she said. “It really touches your heart.”