If new teachers are going to do more than endure a rocky start, they need to develop a deep understanding about learners and about teaching their own discipline effectively. These authors were interested in what new teachers perceived and reported about the mentoring they had received in a comprehensive induction program. What did they find valuable? What seemed most effective? They begin with an overview of the characteristics of effective mentors, then explain their Induction Program, and finally share survey data from 2006-2010, emphasizing the voices of the new teachers. Examining surveys across five years of induction, one can see what mentor characteristics have been essential across time.