Smooth induction. Another important aspect of mentoring, which was considered as a positive impact on mentees’ successful induction into a new working environment and mentioned by three mentee- respondents, was emotional support. Such support is crucial for mentees and it helps them to overcome challenges they face in the beginning of their teaching career. For instance, one of the participants stated, “My personal experience includes strong moral support that is the key help for me. My mentor is always ready to help me and I am very grateful for this” (Mentee 4). The respondents asserted that when young teachers come to school, it is rather difficult for them to adapt and navigate in a new environment. One mentee shared her initial concerns “I had to study the theory, methods, teaching approaches, school system and its policy quickly and almost at once to apply this knowledge in practice” (Mentee 4). The help with the content knowledge and strong emotional support from mentors facilitates mentees’ adaptation to the new workplace and its culture. Collaboration within the dyad accelerates the understanding of key terms, teaching methods and approaches. According to one participant “At our school, it [mentoring] is so-called pedagogical cooperation. It has allowed me to adapt to the new school faster” (Mentee 3). Can you connect this paragraph and the one before it? The mentors also noted the personal growth and opportunity to think wider as an advantage of participation in mentoring program. Mentoring helps teachers start thinking not only about how they can benefit from this experience, but look at their work as the way to enhance the work of the whole school community: Xxxxxxxxx helped me to be better at facilitating a professional dialogue and taught me to be more responsible about a colleague, not to be focused on my own teaching but to look for ways to improve teaching in the school (Mentor 1).
