FIRST-YEAR TEACHER & Mentor Teacher SUPPORTS
FIRST-YEAR TEACHER SUPPORT
PEP invests in the supports that help first-year teachers remain in teaching. As part of that investment, we recognize the role quality mentoring plays in the success of early career teachers.
Through our collaboration with Greenville County Schools, we are able to customize our support for first-year teachers to make sure we are meeting their needs each year.
Public Education Partners supports first-year teachers in the following ways:
- Appreciation: Sending messages of appreciation and community care to first-year teachers throughout the school year. Our appreciation begins by warmly welcoming new teachers abroad in August at our district’s induction teacher institute.
- Professional Learning: Providing meaningful opportunities to help early career teachers grow and thrive in the early years of teaching.
- Awards & Recognition (please see below!)
FIRST-YEAR TEACHER & MENTOR TEACHER AWARDS
The First-Class Teacher Award seeks to recognize outstanding first-year teachers in Greenville County Schools who have a passion for teaching, a commitment to developing their students, and a willingness to grow in the profession. In partnership with Greenville County Schools, Public Education Partners sponsors this award which honors four first-year teachers (elementary, middle, high school and special centers) and presents them with an award and monetary gift.
PEP STARS
We’re excited to launch PEP Stars, a new initiative designed to celebrate and uplift first-year teachers across Greenville County Schools. Through PEP Stars, mentors, principals, and school leaders can recommend new teachers who are building strong classroom culture, delivering engaging lessons, and making a meaningful impact on students from day one. One of them is Isabelle Duncan, a first-grade teacher at Reedy Laurel Elementary School (shown with her students at left).
We’ll share their stories on social media and in our newsletter and enter them into a monthly gift card drawing. Our goal is simple: to ensure first-year teachers feel seen, valued, and supported during this critical first year in the classroom.
If you know a teacher who is already shining early in their career, please take a few minutes to nominate them here!
Community Building & Mentoring
When Dr. Wallace Cobbs, principal of Welcome Elementary School, approached Public Education Partners with an idea to better support first-year teachers, we saw an opportunity to invest in teacher success from day one. We’re proud to support the Welcome to Welcome program, a specialized initiative designed to help new teachers at the Greenville school build meaningful connections, find encouragement, and become part of the school community from the moment they arrive.