Hi Anne - Thank you for your comments. The topics we address through the mentoring component of our program have varied over the years as the needs of early career teachers have fluctuated. Initially, classroom management, culturally responsive pedagogy, and teaching for social justice were topics of great interest among our Noyce Scholars. In recent years, the focus has shifted to maintaining a work/life balance and addressing issues of anxiety and stressors within the profession (even before COVID). The topics are fluid and largely driven by the mentees. Thanks for your question! Kristen

Interesting-what work/life balance skills do you teach?

Anne - Through our mindfulness training, the following areas are addressed: sensory clarity, stress reduction, behavior change, greater happiness, improving relationships, insight & self-knowledge, attention to relaxation, cultivating positive emotions, and many more. 

I'm curious about the mindfulness training:  Are you conducting that as an "in-house" offering (as in an on-campus trainer) or do you have participants involved with an outside provider?

We used an outside provider, though the company was founded by two Duke graduates, so it had an in-house feel.  The provider's website is https://liveahb.com/

Hi Katherine! I agree. Providing social-emotional support to teachers has been particularly important this past year due to COVID and the sudden pivot to online teaching. I hope we continue to find real value in proactively addressing SEL as we return to in-person instruction. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Kristen. 

We too have had a Noyce program for 10+ years and are seeing the benefits of our alumni Noyce Scholars serving as mentor teachers during internships--it is really great to see them giving back and supporting teacher candidates! 

Cassandra - I agree. The strong network and sense of community that we have been able to build has certainly enriched our program. It’s great to see our scholars grow throughout their careers and support and welcome new teachers into the fold. 

Great that you can select your mentors and that many if not all are your own graduates - this helps both the mentors and the scholars stay in contact and continue with professional development. Keeping the close-knit learning community I am sure helps with teacher induction and retention too. Thank you!

Hi Elizabeth - We had planned to focus on maintaining work/life balance through mindfulness training prior to the pandemic.... It just happened to be an even more timely focus once COVID hit us. In terms of outcomes, we use several measures including annual focus groups and surveys. The surveys allow us to track scholars across their teaching career on a variety of indicators: K-12 student growth, teaching awards and leadership positions, and perceived quality of their preparation at Duke across a range of areas.  We are also interested in the ways that teachers may share mindfulness strategies with their own students and how these strategies have help them better manage stress.