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Mentor Program Takes Flight in Torrington, WY When fifth grade teacher Gwen Walsh heard about WEA's Bee A Mentor program, she quickly agreed to participate as a mentor. She had already been answering some questions from Ellen Nelson, who is starting her second year as a special education teacher in Torrington. They both teach at Trail Elementary. Prior to working in Torrington, Nelson was a Special Education Director in Wheatland. Although not new to education, having a mentor in a new district is extremely helpful. "When you are new to a building, you quickly discover that there are unspoken, unwritten rules," she shared. Having a mentor has provided "someone to give you a little guidance," she added. Mentoring Nelson comes easily for Walsh. As a former Special Education teacher, she relies on her 27 years of experience when answering questions and offering advice. "We share a lot of the same philosophies about life and work," especially when it comes to their students, said Walsh. "We both really care about students with specials needs," she stressed. And while the primary goal and focus is to provide the best education for students, there are a lot of components to their work that are not directly student-related, like "working with other staff and getting all the paperwork done, so it's nice to have someone to ask," said Nelson. National statistics show that nearly a third of new educators leave the profession in their first five years of teaching. WEA's Bee A Mentor program is an effort to provide new educators the resources they need to be successful in their profession. "The program is not a 'cookie-cutter' model where everyone needs to do the same thing," said Grady Hutcherson, WEA Vice President and Membership Chair. "We primarily want to provide a way for veteran teachers and new teachers to connect so that they can learn from each other," he said. WEA's goal is to grow the program and provide resources. You can learn more, and sign up, by visiting WEA's website: wyoea.org/bee-a-mentor. Ron Sniffin, Executive Director Member Benefits 25 Photos: Gwen Walsh (left) and Ellen Nelson (right)