Nobody Should Have To Go Through It Alone - First Year Teacher

After graduation, teachers are excited! This is the first opportunity they will have to develop their own classroom. They will have the freedom to create their own community within a school. I remember my first time, I remember spending $1,000 on supplies of my own funds to decorate my classroom, to purchase supplies, and spend hours at Lakeshore at the laminating machine creating day 1 folders. I knew that I needed help but was unsure because in my mind I was fully prepared. It wasn’t until after week one, I realized I needed much more support than I thought. After 25 years in education, I know that all new teachers must be supported by veteran teachers, school principals, and their local districts. Education is an ever-growing and developing industry. The programs that were effective 10 years ago have been replaced by new and improved curricula. So why would the education industry think that new teachers wouldn’t need guidance after they’d left their education program?

How Can We Begin To Support Teachers?

One of the best ways to support a new teacher is to pair them with a teacher who has been teaching students for over 5 years. Principals could set aside funding for the veteran teacher as well. This kind of informal mentorship allows us to draw from a broader range of experience and perspectives (Edweekly, 2020). It helps new teachers understand school systems and culture while ultimately making a friend. I am still friends with my mentors today, I’ve watched their kids grow up and I am truly grateful to have had them partnered with me. This was also a way for me to be transparent without any backlash. I would ask them about student behavior, principal feedback, and job security. These were things that I wanted to know and understand. These mentors gave me good advice on connecting with families, navigating an unhoused population, and building relationships with the community. After my stint of being the mentee, I was honored to return the favor to a new teacher in which I was a mentor.

Become a Coaching Leader and Give Teachers Time

Another method to support new teachers is to give them ample time and resources to prepare for their first semester of classes. This can happen over the summer break. It will help the teacher not feel overwhelmed and nervous when the first day of school comes (Teach 4 the Heart, 2018). Our principal would give our teacher leader access to the school, many times the custodian would allow us to come after hours to make copies and prepare for the year. Three teachers in our school were grant writers and if we wanted to write a grant she would help us prepare it and submit it. I remember winning a 150K grant to cook in the classroom, boy those were the days! Our principal was also a previous coach so much of our evaluations were coaching conversations with great questioning to help us foster and grow. Our principal allowed us to try things; I think because she knew were were working with our mentors. One observation, I remember it clearly because in my eyes it was a disaster. It was a science activity… needless to say everyone was wet at the end. In the debrief, I apologized profusely; she chucked and said, “That was something your students will never forget.” Her feedback shaped my entire outlook on education. To this day, I always have fun in everything I do; especially when it comes to education!

Alternative Educational Opportunities for New Teachers

Many districts are enrolling teachers into programs where they can get their master's degree while they are teaching. Teachers are applying for emergency credentials and charter schools are now authorizers of alternative teacher certification programs. The Early Completion Internship Option is designed for those who already have experience teaching students. Also, in states like California, there are three approved teaching performance assessment models, CalTPA, edTPA, and FAST requires a candidate to complete defined performance tasks relating to subject-specific pedagogy, designing and implementing instruction, and student assessment, video-recording teaching, and reflecting on practice. In some cases, if you are in the state of Indiana, and want to work for a charter school, all you need is a bachelor’s degree. In some cases, schools are partnering with companies like Ei360 that helps with Professional development training which entails video coaching documentation and data to submit to the state for teacher certification.

Teaching Continues to Change and So Should Lesson Planning

Schools and districts can support new teachers by hosting continuous on-site partner development sessions throughout the year. Also, teachers learn so much from watching each other when they are teaching their students. Lesson planning can transform as well. Group brainstorming ideas, co-collaboration with community members, preplanning ideas in the cloud are all ways teachers can make learning fun. As lesson planning morphs, I hope that it incorporates units of student interest, real-world concerns, and social justice concerns. As new teachers come on board, this may be an opportunity for everyone to help transform our educational system.

 References

8 ways new teachers want (and need) you to support them. Teach 4 the Heart. (2018, May 9). Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://teach4theheart.com/8-ways-new-teachers-want-need-support/

McIlheran, J. (2020, December 2). Veteran teachers: It's our responsibility to support new colleagues (opinion). Education Week. Retrieved March 3, 2022, from https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-veteran-teachers-its-our-responsibility-to-support-new-colleagues/2018/08