'Induction Malfunction': How a Mentoring Program Left Novice Teachers Behind

"Induction Malfunction" (now available through AuthorHouse) is derived from the successfully defended doctoral dissertation of author Dr. Leonid Chernyak. Chernyak's study takes readers on a personal narrative of three novice teachers' perceptions and experiences with a charter school's mentored induction program. His study chronicles what happens when the induction program is purposefully and neglectfully disbanded. Through detailed description and documentation, the teachers' successes, failures, perceptions, experiences, struggles and conflicts are discussed. Readers will unfortunately witness how these novice teachers are, in essence, left behind.

The setting of Chernyak's study is a Florida charter school in its initial year of operation. The founding principal hires three new teachers, alongside more experienced ones, in an effort to introduce the novices to the world of education, front-line teaching and classroom management. As part of the induction program, a mentor is hired to help, guide and assist the new teachers in classroom management efforts. When a new principal is hired, it quickly becomes evident that she does not support the mentoring program. She closes her mind to the original vision of the founding principal, upon which the charter school was founded, and allows the program to fail, thereby driving the novice teachers out.

"Induction Malfunction" showcases first-year, full-time teaching through the eyes of those who experienced it. Readers learn that being thrown into the teaching field, as in any profession, without knowledge of the rules, limitations and theoretical principles, can be extremely difficult and frustrating. Anyone who has ever wanted to be a teacher or has been inspired by a teacher may find greater empathy for the profession upon reading the kinds of unexpected struggles, troubles and conflicts these teachers faced.

Chernyak worked as a freelance writer for various Florida newspapers and magazines before becoming a language arts teacher and tutor. He holds a doctorate in education, a Master of Arts in mass communication, and a Bachelor of Science in print journalism. His areas of interest and research include oral and social histories, character and intelligence education, multicultural principles and various learning and teaching styles. "Induction Malfunction" is the author's second book. His first title, "Breaking Routine: A Cosmic Outlook on Our Comic World," was published in 2005. Chernyak currently resides in Sarasota, Fla.