Educator Mentor Discussion Prompts

Classroom Norms:

1. What it the class schedule?

2. How and when do you distribute textbooks?
3. How do you use students educational records?
4. What do you usually prepare for emergency substitute plans?
5. Do you use classroom volunteers? What for? How often? How do you find out about who has
volunteered?
6. What kinds of cooperative learning strategies do you use in the classroom?
7. If you use instructional groups in your classroom, how are they formed and why?
8. How do you communicate with parents?
9. Are there any integrated curriculum areas that you must address in your classroom?
10. In what ways do you collaborate with colleagues at grade level or in content areas?
11. What supplemental media is available to you?
12. How often do you use the school library? What kinds of materials do thy have (besides books)?

Data Driven Decision Making:

13. What assessments do you give your students?

14. How do you use your class/school data to improve your instruction?
15. How does your school use data to determine programming?

Grading and Assessment of Student Work:

16. What kind of grade-book format do you use?

17. How often do you submit grades?

Managing Student Behavior:

18. How would you describe your approach to managing student behavior?
19. What strategies do you use to deescalate student misbehavior?
20. What strategies do you use to redirect student off task behavior?
21. What do you do to avoid conflicts and crisis situations in the classroom?
22. What type of consequences do you use? (positive/negative)
23. What is the procedure for reporting accidents and injuries?
24. What is the procedure for reporting a suspected weapon?

Professional Evaluations:

25. What are the principals expectations of you?

26. How often are you evaluated? Do you have prior notice of evaluations?

School Policies:

27. How are student medications stored and dispensed? Do you have a nurse?
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 28. What are the fire drill procedures for this school/classroom?
29. What are the tornado drill procedures for this school/classroom?
30. What kind of signal does the school use for intruders or other threats?
31. What kinds of non-teaching duties do you have as a teacher in this building?
32. What is the school policy on using the school telephone?
33. Are there any areas of the school that are off limits?
34. What is the policy for collecting student money?
35. How is mail distributed in the building? District?
36. How do you go about ordering supplies for your classroom?
37. Are you required to attend Extracurricular Activities (Band concerts, PTA meetings, Athletic Events,
ETC)?
38. Are there any extra programs incorporated into the curriculum? (Drug Ed, Economic Ed, etc)

School Culture:

39. What are some characteristics of this school?

40. Are there any norms and customs that are unique to this school?
41. How would you describe this schools culture?

Community Culture:

42. How does the community interact/collaborate with/support the school?

43. Are there any community norms and expectations (unwritten perceptions of school and teachers held
by the community)?

Special Services:

44. Are there students in your class who receive special attention, instruction or services?
45. What is the referral process for special needs students?
46. How do you handle FERPA issues?
47. In what ways do you collaborate with the special education teachers?
48. How often do you attend IEP meetings?

Items to locate in various handbooks, websites or other written documentation

District Overarching Policies

1. What is the districts mission statement?

2. What are the districts exit outcome requirements?
3. What are the schools belief statements?
4. Are there district wide discipline procedures?
5. What are the districts bus regulations? (Riding, loading, routes etc.)
6. What are the districts cafeteria regulations?
7. Where do you find a copy of the district/school calendar? (attach a copy)
8. When and how do you send out progress reports?
9. How and when do you send out report cards?
10. What extra services do the district offer students? (Breakfast, backpacks, school supplies, tutoring,
clothing help, etc.)

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Student Policies

1. What is the student policy on

Attendance?
Late arrival?
Tardiness?
Possession of a weapon?
Display of affection?
Student dress code?
Student use of profanity?
Student use of tobacco?
Student use of cell phone?
Student use of personal computers?
Hallway behavior?
Assembly behavior?
Bullying?
Bus riding?
Leaving early from school?

Employee Policies

1. Can students leave school or school activities with another students parent?
2. What is the student grievance process?
3. What is the salary schedule for this district? (attach a copy)
4. What is the application process for the district?
5. What is the evaluation policy for the district?
6. What is the tenure policy?

Community Culture (You may need to seek help with some of these items. Check with the local Chamber
of Commerce for a community brochure. Check online sources for descriptions of the community.)

1. What are the characteristics of the student population? (parental income, ethnic background of
students, reading scores, chronic health problems, gender performance differences)
2. What are the characteristics of the community? (Common occupations, business, private schools,
housing levels, income levels)
3. What community resources are available to teachers? (museums, unique businesses, community
organizations, knowledgeable citizens, etc.)

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 Classroom Procedures
Beginning Class:

____Roll Call, Absentees, Students Leaving Early

____Tardy Students

____Behavior During PA Announcements

____Warm-up, Routines, or Sponge Activities

____Procedure for Distributing Supplies

____Job Chart (Material Collector, Messenger, Greeter, Line Leader, etc.)

Instructional Activities:

____Student Movement In and Out of Room

____Student Contact with Teacher Desk

____Signal for Student Attention

____Student Talk During Discussion

____Teacher Questioning of Students

____Student Talk During Seat Work

____What Students Do When Finished

____Students Turning Papers Into Teacher

____Passing Evaluated Papers Back to Students

____Monitoring Students During Instruction

____Monitoring All Students Work-in-Progress During Guided Practice

Ending Class:

____Putting Supplies Away

____Dismissing the Class

____Assigning Homework

Assignment Policies:
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____Heading Papers

____Use of Pen or Pencil

____Writing on Back of Paper

____Neatness

____Incomplete Work

____Late Work

____Missing Work

____Retesting or Rewriting

Assignment Procedures:

____Posting of Assignments

____ Missed Assignments

____Explanation of Assignment Evaluation Criteria

____Reteaching of Unmastered Material

____Retesting of Unmastered Material

Evaluating Procedures:

____Procedure for Exchange of Papers

____Student Procedures for Marking Papers

____Procedure for Recording Grades

____Explanation to Student on How Grades Will Be Determined

____Explanation to Parent on How Report Card Grades Will Be Determined

____Procedure for Providing Student Grade Up-dates (not necessarily official progress reports)

____Parental Notification of Student Successes and/or Difficulties

Organization of Material (System for Filing or Collecting):

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____District Communications

____School Communications

____Principal Communications

____Parental Communications

____Student Behavioral and Academic Evaluations

____Lesson Plans

____Student Grades/Records/Portfolios

____Professional Portfolio Activities or Material

____School junk for art projects, games

Classroom Rules/Expectations

Reinforcement Plan