Mentor Requirements & Responsibilities

The mentor is the most powerful aspect of the FasTrack program! When our students work with a classroom mentor, they receive an authentic classroom experience!

Mentor Requirements

  • Currently teach in in student’s desire license area/field of study
  • Hold a 5-year continuing education license
  • Have at least 3 years of full-time teaching experience
  • Complete the Mentor Application

*We are unable to accept mentor applications from teachers in the Bemidji School District at this time, unless the student is already employed by the school district.

Mentor Benefits

Mentors will be paid $125 stipend per semester to oversee a FasTrack Teacher Candidate and can earn CEU’s as requested.

For Mentors

  1. A completed Mentor Application is required for each student in our programs. Please download, complete and sign this form. The form must include your principal’s signature. Scan and email (preferred) to: fastrack@bemidjistate.edu.
  2. This power point presentation will provide additional details about the requirements and expectations of mentors in our program.
  3. The mentor Handbook will also provide information about the role.

Mentor Responsibilities

  • Give BSU faculty feedback on student progress in the classroom. An email to fastrack@bemidjistate.edu will always get to the right person for your questions or concerns apart from the open discussions.
  • Support the pre-service teacher candidate to find practicum venues where they gain a varied grade level experience. The student’s field experience expectations are 20-40 hours per semester. Student teaching is done in the student’s final semester and BSU will assign the school and teacher supervisor.
  • Act as a coach and mentor as needed, and answer questions posed by the student regarding experiences with certain key elements of successful pedagogy such as how to motivate students and differentiate instruction.
  • Serve as resource as the teacher candidate completes classroom tasks (Examples of classroom tasks: observation, working with individual and small groups of students, co-teaching or teaching a lesson, collaborating with classroom teacher, grading papers)
  • Sign field experience forms to confirm that teacher candidate served completed recorded hours.

Your estimated commitment per semester will vary between 20-40 hours. Mentors will receive a $125 stipend per semester and can earn CEU’s as requested. To receive your stipend at the end of the semester, you will need to complete some forms with BSU as a “new employee”. You will be receiving an email from Lynn Johnson (Lynn.Johnson@bemidjistate.edu) to confirm your acceptance as a mentor and with additional details on the next steps. Once you complete the intake process (initiated from NoReply@MinnState.edu), you will receive your stipend at the end of each semester you serve as a mentor.

Thank you for considering the opportunity to become a mentor!