Darla Torix began teaching 31 years ago and says it was her bad teachers who inspired her to become a good one.See how the program works: Mentorship program helps new Montana teachers learn skills for the job"Originally, I wante d to teach because there were so many teachers that I wanted to not be like," Torix said.She started her career in 1994 in a one-room Montana schoolhouse. Her path brought her to Laurel Intermediate School where she teaches a room full of third graders."There is no plan B. This is year 31, and this is what I know and I love to do it," said Torix.In addition to her 24 students, she's also mentoring a teacher in Wise River in southwest Montana.While that's a 255-mile drive from her Laurel classroom, they frequently meet on video calls, allowing her mentee, Ben Hall, to pick up on her decades of knowledge."He's pretty new to being a teacher. He's still getting his certificate," said Torix.The mentor-mentee program is offered by the ASPIRE grant through Montana State University.Hall says it's has been game-changer in his first year of teaching kindergarten through eighth grade out in rural Beaverhead County."She just has an ability to see through what's in front of me in a way that I can't. I don't think I would be doing as well as I am without her," Hall said."Things that we go through are not only curriculum how to maintain your day, and make sure that you have a schedule, relationships with students, families, school board," said Torix.With hundreds of open teaching positions in Montana, the program is also giving new teachers the confidence they need to stay on the job.With such a demand, Torix isn't the only teacher in Laurel offering a helping hand.In fact, at her school, there are two others participating in the Mentor MT program."Some teachers come from foreign countries, some teachers are brand new, and a lot of these teachers are in rural communities. And they just need someone to help them," said another mentor, Chana Hari.In fact, these teacher mentors are even learning a thing or two."You kind of look back at your teaching when you're like, 'Okay these are the things you need to do. Oh! I need to make sure I'm doing this too'. So, it kind of makes you check back and look back at yourself," said mentor Elizabeth Meir. ...read more read less