As student teachers and new teachers enter the rich, historied culture of their English departments, they are listening and looking intently for cues about how they fit in. Sadly, recent scholarship indicates that many teachers never actually find a satisfactory fit. According to Richard Ingersoll, almost 50% of new teachers quit before they reach…

In this article, the author describes her induction years in high school teaching, reporting the frustration in lacking a suitably matched mentor, and her determination to attend to her own professional growth. Her story reveals characteristics common among "stayers," those who continue beyond their induction years and thrive for a long time as…