The first few weeks of Mollie Feigley’s career as a kindergarten teacher at Creekside Elementary were going just as she planned. Then the tide turned, and suddenly, she found herself struggling to keep her class of precocious five and six-year-olds on track.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to face her classroom troubles alone because she had Dana Trockenbrot, a long-time Limestone County educator who had been assigned as her mentor.

“She pointed out what I was doing great, but she also pointed out areas I could improve on,” Feigley said. “She suggested I do more modeling, showing the students what I expect of them and holding them to it.”

Feigley and Trockenbrot’s relationship is a casual one, more like two friends. They meet one-on-one daily, discussing everything from mundane classroom administration requirements, like entering grades into iNOW, to more serious issues, like how to handle a disruptive child.

“I spend time in her classroom, and we just talk about everything that works and the things that don’t, Trockenbrot said. “She has made some changes that have created a whole new environment.”

“It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, but we’ve definitely come a long way,” Feigley said.

Their relationship is not unique. Both city and county schools have extensive teacher mentoring program in place.

Logan Searcy, education administrator with the Office of Public Charter Schools at the Alabama Department of Education, said the mentor’s job is more than evaluation or observation. It’s to be a friend and help when needed.

“We hope they will develop a bond that helps them feel secure and make them want to continue teaching,” Searcy said.

The program pairs first-year teachers with an educator who has at least five years of experience. Originally instituted by the DOE in 2008, the program was left defunded by state Legislature for several years before returning in 2015.

Searcy said the program helps with retention in the school system.

“The fact is, there is a teacher shortage and we don’t want to lose our teachers to another profession, so it is about keeping our teachers and developing effective educators,” Searcy said.

Trockenbrot said that while she never considered leaving her career as an elementary teacher, she does remember her first year as a difficult, lonely one.

“I didn’t have anyone I could call on or ask questions,” she said. “I want to be there for Mollie so she will have a successful year and feel confident in the classroom.”

She believes the teacher mentor program can be the difference between a teacher who stays and a teacher who leaves. Garner Ezell, executive director of Curriculum and Instruction for Athens City Schools, echoed the sentiment.

“It has had a big impact on our district,” Ezell said. “For instance, last year, we had 10 new teachers and nine out of 10 of them are back. We would have kept all 10, but one had to move because of her husband’s job.”

He sees a direct correlation between teacher retention and satisfaction and the mentoring program. He said new teachers can feel isolated and overwhelmed, especially if expectations are high.

“But when they have a mentor relationship with someone they trust, someone who can provide emotional support and help them fit in, it makes a positive impact on their first year as a teacher,” Ezell said.

Searcy said that since the teacher mentoring program was reinstated, the DOE has seen a similar improvement in teacher retention numbers statewide. There are currently about 2,300 mentors guiding Alabama’s many first-year teachers.

Mentors are chosen by a committee made up of the principal, district office staff and parents.