As an estimated 11,000 new teachers
prepare to enter the city's public schools over the
next few weeks, Teachers Network, an education non-profit
organization, is calling on new teachers to take advantage
of New Teachers New York, a series of online
survival courses, books, videos and web resources designed
to support teachers in the early stages of their careers.
Using input from experienced teachers, Teachers Network
has created the free and low-cost materials to help
new teachers cope with the unique challenges and pressures
of their first years in a New York City Classroom.
"For new teachers, especially those
who have received alternative certification, the first
few years of teaching are extremely challenging and
often overwhelming. Research shows that nearly half
of new teachers leave the profession after three years.
We are reaching out to new teachers with these resources
as a way to help train, mentor and support them during
the most critical time of their careers," said
Ellen Dempsey, CEO and President of Teachers Network
and former public school teacher.
Since new teachers often have limited
time and resources, all materials are available in
flexible formats that can be used at home or in school.
The New Teacher On-Line Survival Courses consists
of eight courses facilitated by experienced New York
City teachers where the new teachers can work through
the lessons and assignments at home at their own pace.
Other elements of New Teachers New York include
books such as the best-selling publication, New
Teachers Handbook. The book has an accompanying
CD-ROM set, Successful Teaching Practices in Action,
created by an Emmy-award winning producer. For more
individualized assistance, teachers can log onto "http://teachersnetwork.org" recently
named "best website" by the Association of
Educational |
Publishers, and email questions to experienced
teachers or peruse lesson plans organized by grade-level
and subject area.
"I took one of the online courses
during my first year of teaching, and I found it tremendously
helpful. This course offered good strategies I could
readily apply in my classroom. The instructor always
had lots of feedback about all of our work. The assignments
were to-the-point, making it easy to fit into our already
too-busy schedules," said a teacher at a Brooklyn
elementary school.
New Teachers New York is supported
by the Citigroup Foundation so that educators are able
to take advantage of the training and mentoring resources
at low or no cost. Over the past year, Teachers Network
has also been working with the New York City Department
of Education (DOE) to raise awareness about "new
Teachers New York." The DOE has distributed copies
of the New Teachers Handbook to new teachers
to help them acclimate to the school system. Additionally,
teachers who take the New Teacher On-Line Survival
Courses receive credits from the DOE toward required
new teacher hours of training.
Teachers Network is a non-profit education
organization that has been working for almost 25 years
to support and connect innovative teachers through
grants and networking opportunities in the areas of
curriculum, leadership, policy and new media. Teachers
Network's mission is to provide teachers with the knowledge
and skills to become leaders in their classrooms and
schools, thereby improving student learning and achievement.
Headquartered in New York City, Teachers Network is
a community of educators linked nationwide by 25 affiliated
organizations including education foundations, public
school systems, and several state education departments
that have adopted one or more Teachers Network programs. |