Greetings All, Thank you in advance for reading and hopefully responding! I am wondering what your opinion, stance, experience etc is regarding New Teacher Induction/Support. Do you think districts are doing a great job with this or is there room for improvement? I am beginning some research on this topic and your help is appreciated.
NJ requires new teachers to be mentored. My administrators pick mentors for new teachers. I've mentored formally twice and informally once. I made sure we met regularly, I kept my 'mentees' informed on building policies and procedures and in the best case, we shared ideas back and forth- a real give and take. In the worst case, I had to 'babysit' and hand hold a teacher who clearly wasn't ready for the challenges of a classroom- she was organized and caring but just couldn't nail classroom management or really wrap her head around scope and sequence...despite many conversations, having her in other classrooms to observe, having me (and others) in her room scripting, coaching, modeling...she was let go after 2 years. Mentoring can be a good thing- but careful, thoughtful hiring of great candidates is of utmost importance...
I teach in a Catholic high school, so my answer may not be of any use to you. But I think we do a remarkable job of supporting new teachers. Late in August, before school starts, there will be 2 days of New Teacher Orientation. (I'm one of about 40 teachers helping out, though I'm not sure which day or which session.) They'll cover everthing from school layout to How to be Successful in Homeroom to Using the Computers (we take attendance on the computer, so even experienced users need to learn the system) to How a Typical Class Runs. They have sessions with the deans where our disciplinary structure is discussed. They get a real intro to the school, and they get to make some new friends. There are coffee breaks and a catered lunch included on both days. Each teacher who is new to the school is assigned a mentor from the same department. And every Tuesday all year, the AP hosts New Teacher Meetings. They cover whatever is coming up on the calendar (Meet the Teacher Night, pep rally, progress reports, whatever) as well as topics such as Checking Homework or Assigning Projects. Honestly, I think that any new teacher who doesn't make it in our building has only him-or herself to blame. There couldn't possibly be any more support offered. In reading some of the threads here over the past few years though, I think there's a real temptation to depend too heavily on the mentor. In the final analysis, YOU are the professional hired to do the job. I've read so many posts at interview time, saying "I'm an incredible teacher.. I just need a CHANCE." Then, in about October, there are constant complaints about all the administration isn't doing to support them because "After all, I'm new at this." And I think it's hard for administrators. Sure, they want to give a chance to people who have potential. But their priority is that the kids in their charge receive a quality education. So teachers who don't know their content, or who are more focused on fun than on teaching, or who don't get a handle on classroom management-- these are problems!!! And giving them "another chance" means another whole set of kids who don't get the education they deserve. So, yes, I firmly believe that new teachers need support. But I think there's a difference between support and asking someone else to do your job for you. And while it hasn't been an issue in my building, I can see that it can be one elsewhere.
I think it depends on the district and the mentor teacher. In my first district, I had a "mentor" who never. once. met. with. me. Despite the fact that she was getting PAID extra to meet with me and mentor me. I was fortunate enough to have lunch every day with a wonderful woman who literally took me by the hand and guided me, shared with me, and picked me up when I thought I was losing my mind. In my current district, my mentor (because everyone has them the first year in the district whether you're a new teach or not) sounds a lot like czacza. We met once a month, went over school procedures, scope and sequence, adjustment issues, lessons, etc. Other mentors in my building met more often (usually with the brand-new teachers). Twice last year mentors and mentees (is that even right?) met as a group with an AP & district new teacher coordinator to discuss issues and exchange ideas. The district lady also came out to observe the first year teachers several times to give them tips and ideas where they were struggling - and sent out monthly ideas to help with overload issues. We could really tell they wanted everyone to be successful in the classroom and feel comfortable asking for help if we felt we needed it.
Right on, Alice. Every time I've mentored a student teacher or a new teacher, I've longed for that 'give and take'- bouncing a new colleague's ideas and energy with my experience and passion. Sometimes it's been like that, other times it hasn't. Bottom line, though, it's about DOING the WORK, growing professionally, dancing as fast as you can. The first year ANYWHERE is not going to be easy. I've seen new teachers breeze out of the building at 3:15 with not one paper in their bags (if they have a bag- some just leave with their purse) and I've seen new teachers who come early, stay late, volunteer on committees and ask good questions, find colleagues to share and learn with, and do the work of becoming a great teacher who makes a difference for the kids in the classroom. There's a lot of discussion about how to GET the teaching job. There should be more than due diligence in doing an AWESOME job once hired. Doing that awesome job, however, requires committment and WORK. Yes, a mentor, colleagues and administrators want to support new teachers in that work, but shouldn't be doing the work for them. So what does excellent induction and support look like? Regional and district new teacher orientations District new teacher meetings/discussion groups Qualified mentors (we have a mentor training program) Sharing and supportive colleagues Climate- my P already sent the emails of our new hires to all staff. Many staff members have sent those new hires emails of welcome. Just like building a classroom climate, we want all our staff to feel capable, connected and contributing. Ongoing professional development AND- careful, thoughtful hiring of candidates who are going to do the work to learn and grow so they can be effective professional educators.
Two years ago, the math department in my building melted down. I was in for a week, then missing a month to recover from surgery. (Nope, it couldn't be done over the summer. That was different surgery.) One of the other experienced teachers was out for 6 weeks for maternity leave. We had 2 new geometry teachers. And, two days before school started, the teacher who teaches Precalc Honors and Intro to Calculus had emergency abdominal surgery and was out until after Christmas. Math teachers are notoriously hard to find. The department covered the maternity leave. The hired someone to cover my classes.I worked with him during that first week. And they got a brand new college grad, 22 years old, to teach the Senior classes. Ideal?? Nope; she wasn't much older than they were. But it was 2 days before the start of school!!! And the other 2 teachers who had experience with Calc (the maternity leave teacher and me) were both MIA. Long story short-- they both did amazing jobs. Allyson in particular, just blew everyone away. Sure, they both had lots of support. But THEY succeeded on their own. They worked on classroom management, got the content under control, and did their jobs. They had rough moments-- that's when they asked for help. I was given a lot of credit at the end of the year for all the help I (eventually) gave to both teachers. But I had to tell the principal-- it wasn't ME,it was THEM. Support can only help you. It can't make you into a success in the classroom.
