U.S. schools face a growing and critical shortage of qualified teachers, especially in mathematics and science, where the workforce is plagued with an insufficient supply of qualified teachers and retention difficulties. After five years, between 40 and 50 percent of teachers leave teaching altogether. The most common reasons given for job dissatisfaction are low salaries, a lack of support from the administration, student discipline problems, lack of student motivation, and lack of influence over school decision-making; teachers who lack adequate initial preparation are even more likely to leave the profession. As a result of the striking statistics related to teacher attrition, states and districts have established policies such as teacher induction and mentoring programs to address the problem. New teachers, however, often feel uncomfortable imposing on their peers or mentors and asking for assistance. The authors feel it is the responsibility both of those responsible for teacher preparation programs to prepare teachers for what to expect within their first years of teaching, and of more experienced teachers to reach out to newcomers.