Mentor Teachers

With the Patton College of Education's reimagined Clinical Model, teacher education programming now focuses on providing substantial and qualitative opportunities to practice pedagogy along with teaching content in clinical settings. With extended clinical experiences, the mentoring provided by school partners within those settings is crucial to the success of our teacher candidates. Recognizing mentor teachers who make significant contributions to our teacher education programming is imperative to maintaining mutually respectful relations. The Patton College of Education shows gratitude to mentor teachers for their contributions to the teaching profession in a variety of different ways. 

Professional Development Compensation Model for Mentor Teachers

The Patton College of Education is committed to the success of all learners in P-12 schools. To support PK-12 teaching and learning, the college has established the following: an alignment between OTES standards and mentor teacher roles; a compensation model for hosting professional interns; and online professional development opportunities. 

Graduate Tuition Fee Waivers for Mentor Teachers

• Any mentor teacher who hosts a professional intern may elect to bank graduate tuition fee waivers on behalf of the school district. This compensation choice is selected on the Mentor Teacher Confirmation Form at the beginning of the semester in which the professional intern is being hosted, and this data is housed in the OHIO Center for Clinical Practice in Education. When a mentor teacher is ready to utilize the tuition waivers, they should complete the Mentor Teacher Fee Waiver Form. Please consult the guidelines for using these waivers on the form. Should you have questions about the number of tuition waivers you have banked, or if you would like a copy of the form sent to you, please contact Dawn Mooney.
• Each time a mentor teacher hosts a professional intern and elects to take the monetary compensation on behalf of the school district, graduate tuition fee waivers are banked by the district. These waivers can be purchased at a reduced rate (50%) for use in taking graduate-level coursework. When a mentor teacher is ready to utilize these tuition waivers, they should complete the School District Fee Waiver Form. Please consult the guidelines for using these waivers on the form. Should you have questions about the number of tuition waivers that are available for your district, or if you would like a copy of the form sent to you, please contact Dawn Mooney.
• Any mentor teacher in one of the Professional Development School Partnerships has access to a limited number of PDS tuition waivers, as agreed upon with each PDS partnership's Teacher Liaison before the academic year. PDS Partnership mentor teachers wishing to use these credit waivers should complete the PDS Credit Waiver Request Form. Please consult the PCOE Tuition Waiver Guidelines for complete information about the use of the PDS tuition waivers. Should you have questions about the number of waivers available for your school, or if you would like a copy of the form sent to you, please contact Dawn Mooney.

Guidebooks

The Patton College of Education is committed to teacher education programming that is fully grounded in clinical preparation and practice and interwoven with academic content and coursework. By immersing teacher candidates in a clinically-based approach to learning, our future educators have extensive opportunities to connect pedagogy with practice, all while under the tutelage of skilled faculty, mentor teachers, and university clinical educators. Successful clinical experiences are most effective when all stakeholders are working together as a team. Each member of the team must understand his/her role in the clinical model. The OHIO Center for Clinical Practice in Education provides mentor teachers and university clinical educators with guidebooks that have been developed to aid partners in guiding and mentoring Patton College students through successful clinical experiences. 

Awards for Mentor Teachers

Mabel Olson Bell Memorial Award 

This award was established to recognize the outstanding professional work of cooperating teachers under the jurisdiction of Ohio University’s Patton College of Education. The winner of this award is selected from nominations submitted by faculty, principals, university clinical educators, or professional interns. 

Past Award Recipients

The Office of Clinical Experiences would like to congratulate the following mentor teachers for being awarded the Mabel Olsen Bell Memorial Award! This award recognizes the outstanding professional work of mentor teachers under the jurisdiction of The Patton College of Education. We believe all winners of this award to be valuable assets to both The Patton College of Education and their community.   

2023- Samantha Dunlap

2022- Kirsten Herrick

2021 - Amrik Brar

2020 - Malinda Mowry 

2019 - Jim Kearns 

2018 - Michelle Curtis 

2017 - Lauren Filous 

2016 - Jasmine Ball