Benjamin Kutsyuruba and Keith Walker have gathered together over 40 teacher educators, beginning teachers, program coordinators, teacher association and ministry of education experts, teacher mentors, mentors of mentors, school administrators, and educational researchers to provide a unique, pan-Canadian set of perspectives in The Bliss and Blisters of Early Career Teaching. Anchored within their own explorations of the differential impact of teaching induction and mentorship programs on the early-career teachers' retention across Canada (a multi-year research project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)), this book is an excellent resource for teacher educators and teacher mentors, for educational scholars, for school administrators (including recruiters and HR personnel), for pre-service teacher candidates and for new teachers who wish to hear the voices of their colleagues, mentors, and experts from across-Canada. The book offers both wide and deep perspectives, with a rich array of descriptions of and prescriptions for both the difficult and the delightful realities associated with being a new teacher and for supporting new teachers. The book contains original personal reflections and poems, programmatic and comparative case studies, a systematic review of the literature, findings from the surveys and interviews, and stories of creative approaches to induction of new teachers, mentorship, and the development of mentoring cultures. This is a hopeful and resource-filled book for those who already agree or wish to consider the proposition that diligent thoughtful efforts to ensure that beginning teachers are well-supported will ultimately benefit the well-being and quality of learning experienced by multiple generations of students.
This vital book is a unique collection of the Canadian research on teacher induction and mentoring. It makes a timely and valuable contribution by bringing together the pan-Canadian voices of authors who are passionate about the development of early career teachers. It is an excellent guide to scholars, practitioners, and policymakers who want to make a difference.
Rebecca Luce-Kapler, OCT, PhD, Dean of Education, Queen’s University
This book is a valuable resource for teacher unions committed to mentorship for early career teachers. Within this pan-Canadian collection, readers can explore mentorship research, programs and practices that empower beginning teachers through collaborative professional development and affirm the centrality of place and community in teacher work
Glen Hansman, President, British Columbia Teachers’ Federation