New Columnist Addresses Teachers As Learners in Teachers.Net Gazette- http://teachers.net/gazette

-Hal Portner to help teachers become proactive in directing their professional development

SAN DIEGO, CA-The Teachers.Net Gazette webzine for educators has added to its line-up of columnists the author of three books on mentoring teachers. Hal Portner's monthly column, "Teachers As Learners," will assist teachers in planning and pursuing personal professional development activities tailored to their specific needs.

According to Portner, "The column is for teachers at all levels of experience. Its purpose is to encourage ongoing professional growth and to suggest to its readers a variety of ways they can be proactive in the process."

The introductory article, "Teachers Have Two Jobs" is the first in a series which will address for teachers the question, "How can you, the individual teacher, remove the isolation and put much of your professional development within your own control?"

In addition to authoring Mentoring New Teachers (1998, 2002), Training Mentors is Not Enough: Everything Else Schools and Districts Need to Do (2001), and Being Mentored: A Guide for Protégés (2002), Portner is a former public school teacher and administrator, college adjunct, and for 10 years
was with the Connecticut State Department of Education, Bureau of Certification and Professional Development.

Currently he presents and consults nationally in the area of teacher induction, mentoring and professional development for a variety of clients including state departments of education, colleges and universities, public school districts, regional education collaboratives, and local boards of education. Recent and current clients include the Connecticut State Department of Higher Education's Alternate Route to Certification (ARC) program, the University of New Mexico's Resident Teacher Program, the Connecticut Vocational-Technical public school system, and several public school districts. Recently Portner presented at the National Staff Development Council's Annual Conference in Boston , and will present during February, 2003, in San Jose at the New Teacher Center's Symposium in February.

Hal Portner joins luminaries such as Harry K. Wong, Marv Marshall, Marjan Glavac, Esme Codell, and others familiar in the world of educators, who write monthly for the Teachers.Net Gazette. The popular webzine has been published online since March 2000, and is also available in email format. Each current issue is always available at http://teachers.net/gazette while all past issues remain available at http://teachers.net/gazette/backissues.

# # #