Teachers’ teacher
During his career, Art Dolan taught college students and high school students, but he spent the last four years teaching teachers. Dolan has been mentoring first-year teachers at the secondary grade level, helping them get acclimated to the school culture and learn how to manage a classroom. But now they’ll have to get their sanity management tips from someone else — Dolan has retired.
He began teaching in Falmouth, Maine, in 1968. He migrated West and taught part time at both Spokane Falls Community College and Eastern Washington University for two years before being hired by Spokane Public Schools. He has been with the district for 27 years.
Dolan taught science at Shadle High School beginning in 1991. His time as a mentor and as a teacher overlapped for two years before Dolan stopped teaching two years ago.
As a mentor Dolan specialized in helping math and science teachers. He was responsible for 15 teachers at three high schools and four middle schools. “You make regular observations in the classroom, at least weekly,” he said.
He kept a thick binder of information on each teacher. He helped them keep track of the academics each was responsible for teaching their students. “That gets real specific by grade level,” Dolan said.
After watching each teacher in the classroom, Dolan would offer tips on how to increase the impact of their teaching. He helped them learn about the culture of their school and where to find good teaching materials. His job was to help teachers figure out why they do what they do and how to get the results they want, he said. “You sit down and have really direct and focused conversations with the teachers.”
But the first thing he covered wasn’t teaching techniques, but time management.
“They could have anywhere from 130 to 150 kids that they’re responsible for,” he said. “Many, many new teachers have the worst schedules. They move from classroom to classroom, hour to hour.”
Dolan was one of eight mentors who worked with teachers of all grade levels. He’s been interested in mentoring since about 1980 when a trainer from UCLA came to Spokane to teach a class in classroom management.
“From that moment on I was hooked,” Dolan said. “I knew that good teaching could be learned and taught.
“I think anybody who goes into the teaching profession has an idea that they want to mentor kids or mentor adults. I think Spokane Public Schools has been the best learning community I’ve ever been in.”
One of the things he’s considering doing now that he’s retired is packaging up his suggested teaching techniques and presenting workshops in smaller school districts that don’t have money dedicated to teacher development.
Despite the fact that he’s only 55 and feel’s like he’s at the top of his game, Dolan decided he needed to retire. His wife, Laurie Dolan, is running as a Democrat for Jim West’s former 6th District Senate seat. She is the school district’s executive director of special programs and is also retiring.
“If she’s retiring, I’m going to be there with her,” Dolan said. “We’ll do it together. I just want to be with her.”
Part of that attitude stems from his wife’s treatment for bone marrow cancer. She received the diagnosis shortly after the 2002 election when she ran against West. She got a stem cell transplant and has been cancer free for a year, Dolan said.
“We suddenly understand how fragile life can be,” he said. “It’s important to celebrate the moments while you have your health.”