Please support “new” teachers!!

This year I mentored a teacher that was struggling on her second year of teaching.  She was an instructional assistant in my classroom 2 years ago.  Through my passion of teaching, she decided to become a special education teacher.  I motivated and supported her through her classes and into her transition to a teacher.  Her first year was a challenge like most beginning teachers; however, her second year became a little more challenging.  Richmond Public Schools started a new math and reading series.  At the same time, we also started new lesson plan format.  Even though she was on her second year of teaching, and go through the new experiences we all have gone through this year, she was getting discouraged in teaching.  She walked around the school with high levels of stress.  Her passion for teaching was already leaving her after only 2 years of teaching.  After school, I helped her with her lesson plans and just talking with her about her daily activities as a teacher.  She has lost weight since this school year.  I had to make sure that it wasn’t anything else outside of the work that was stressing her.  She clearly stated that it was her job.  I continued to support her with lesson plans and classroom management.  I know her personality, and this is not the person that I’m use to seeing at school.