Mentorskapsprogrammet väcker uppmärksamhet

Tom Ganser,  filosofie doktor och chef på en institution för "field experiences" på universitetet i Wisconsin-Whitewater och expert på mentorsprogram, är minst sagt lyrisk över Umeås mentorskapsprogram.  Han lovordar programmet och har skrivit ett brev i artikelform som han vill få VK att publicera. Läs brevet nedan!

---------

24 April 2006
 
" I am certain that the outstanding performance of Swedish athletes in the 2006 Winter Olympics was the cause of great celebration in Umeå and throughout Sweden.  I call upon the citizens of Umeå to celebrate with equal pride the municipality´s Mentorship Program for beginning teachers.  What began as Special Project Group in 2000 resulted in the launch of the Mentorship Program in the fall of 2001.  Because of the value and success of the program, its status has now been elevated from that of a “special project" to an ongoing source of support for novice teachers.  In addition, the existence of the Mentorship Program will be an important incentive in drawing teachers to Umeå during a time when the retirement of many teachers throughout Sweden intensifies the competition faced by municipalities in staffing their schools with high quality teachers.
 
The Mentorship Program has gained the attention of educators both inside and outside Sweden in a variety of ways, including publications in the United States and Canada and presentations at the conferences of professional educational organizations.  Of course, the successful launch of the Umeå Mentorship Program depended on the hard work and support of many individuals, including Laila Cederqvist and Annica Nordenqvist, members of the Special Project Group; Jan Dackenberg, former Umeå School Director; Yvonne Andersson, Director of Human Resources for the Umeå School District; Mikael Berglund, current Chairman of the upper secondary board; and Ulla Lindgren, Umeå University.
 
Bringing home to Sweden medals from the 2006 Winter Olympics was a joyful event, to be sure.  However, the long-term, positive effects of the Mentorship Program on beginning teachers and ultimately on the many children whose lives they will touch is clear evidence that the Umeå Mentorship Program is worth far, far more than medals of bronze or silver or gold for all of Umeå."
 
Tom Ganser, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Whitewater, Wisconsin USA
Email:  gansert@uww.edu