New Teacher Induction and
Support
Happy New Year TNPI!
Most of us returned to school today to bright post-holiday students. As
veteran teachers it always amazes me how each year, and in fact, each day
of teaching is different. Maybe that's why I love it so much. But for this
month, we need to try to remember what it was like when we were "brand
new" at this craft. What was that first year like for you? Do you remember
a special mentor who helped to make it sane? What did you yearn for the
most professionally? Or were you like me, so overwhelmed you didn't know
what help to ask for. This month's listserv conversation will center on
Stansbury and Zimmerman's article in the Journal of Staff Development,
Fall 2002, Smart Induction Programs Become Lifelines for the Beginning
Teacher. It's kind of like raising a teenager, never, never forget what it
was like to be 15 years old! We, as veteran teachers, need to be part of
the solution for the nationwide problem of a steady loss of teachers who,
after a relatively short time in the classroom, give up on the profession.
Paragraph 8 on page 5 of the article compares the value of high and low
intensity support strategies for new teachers. Do you agree with this
statement?
"In high-intensity support efforts, however, much more is expected of
veteran teachers. But if they are to operate as anything more than buddies
or cheerleaders, they must be chosen carefully, receive appropriate
training, and be given adequate time away from their own classroom
responsibilities-all of which requires a greater commitment on the part of
the school or district."
Please read this short but interesting article available on the
Teachersnetwork.org website. Then feel free to jump in and do a little
walk down memory lane about that first year for you. We all have stories
to tell and valuable suggestions to contribute.
Cheers!
Barbara Hampton
Miami, FL
January 7, 2003 |
Hi Barbara and everybody!
I really enjoyed reading this article because it has so much bearing on my
work with new teachers and their schools.
The quote Barbara pulled out really validated much of what we are seeing
with the project I work on.
"In high-intensity support efforts, however, much more is expected of
veteran teachers. But if they are to operate as anything more than buddies
or cheerleaders, they must be chosen carefully, receive appropriate
training, and be given adequate time away from their own classroom
responsibilities-all of which requires a greater commitment on the part of
the school or district."
Part of my work as a site facilitator with the New Educator Support Team
is identifying and working with experienced teachers in order to
"institutionalize" new teacher support in the schools. In other words, my
goal is to put myself out of my job when the teachers at the school have
built the capacity to do the work on their own.
It takes time, support, and professional development for the teacher
leaders to emerge and take on the role of coach teachers (which is what we
call them). We provide ongoing support and seminars for them, as well as
on-site support in the schools.
Now that our project has left nine schools (they no longer have a site
facilitator on site), the schools are exhibiting varying degrees of
success in inducting and supporting new teachers. A research study is
being conducted by NYU to establish how the schools are faring. What we
are seeing anecdotally is at the schools where the principals or districts
made the commitment by giving teachers time to do the work, they are
successfully doing it (well, duh).
Teachers are the ones who fully realize the importance of the work so I
believe that they are best suited to be the ones to transform their school
communities to support new teachers.
Judi Fenton
Miami
January 9, 2003 |
Judi,
Your project and the NYU study hit the nail on the head. Again, it is the
leadership commitment to the project that will make or break it. When the
principal sees the benefit of teachers spending real time mentoring new
teachers, these programs are a success. Success means new teachers with a
real grip on the proper skills and confidence necessary. Like you said, if
we do our job well, we will find ourselves out of the mentoring business.
Isn't that what we aim for? Maybe that is part of the problem. So many
times, "New Teacher Coordinators" are appointed, not because of their
expert teaching abilities, but instead due to their longevity and the fact
that they want "out" of the classroom themselves. So who do we have
mentoring, or going through the motions of mentoring our new teachers?
Sometimes the most burned out ones of all! These are the programs that
fall flat, and in the process I am convinced that we lose some of the
finest new teachers who never were given the right direction and tools.
Not that seasoned teachers aren't fantastic mentors if they are still
passionate teachers, but who is to say that a three year "new teacher"
couldn’t be a terrific coach? "Paying your dues," so to say, should not be
a prerequisite for coordinating new teacher induction programs.
Barbara Hampton
Miami
January 9, 2003 |
Absolutely, Barbara,
We've found that some of our most committed coach teachers have only 3-5
year in the classroom. They are close enough to their first year to really
remember what a first year teacher needs. Also, we've found that when a
new teacher is supported, she/he is more likely to want to (and be good
at) support others in the ensuing years.
Also, a somewhat sad fact is that in many of our schools in NYC, probably
almost everywhere these days, a teacher who has been teaching 3-5 years is
often one of the most senior teachers in the building.
Judi Fenton
New York City
January 10, 2003 |
Wow, 3-5 years experience the most senior members of a
faculty. That is an interesting statistic. Here in Miami, a new teacher
must remain at one school for the first three years before they can even
put in for a transfer, part of the contract. This can good and bad, if you
are in a bad situation with no assistance, you are stuck there for three
long years. That's probably when we lose new teachers to other
professions. We also have a 90 day trial period when the principal can
basically fire you. I know that these rules have been put in place with
good intentions in mind, but in the wrong hands they can be dangerous.
Barbara Hampton
Miami
January 10, 2003 |
I have to say Barbara that this is true in some schools
in Los Angeles as well. Many times a new teacher (in the past
noncredentialed) will work at a school while they do course work for their
credentials and then leave it for "greener pastures" once they get
certified. I have seen it happen time and time again. But, I also have
seen some teachers stay and stick it out at these hard to staff schools
and the reason why? Collaboration and support from colleagues. I also
question the selection process of mentors Barbara. It is true, that there
are times teachers are selected as mentors (over $4,000 stipend in the
past) just because of how long they have taught and not necessarily their
ability to coach and support others. I have heard from new teachers that
did not get much assistance from their assigned "mentors". Luckily, many
of these teachers sought out collaboration and networking in other places.
Now on the other side of the fence, I can also say, having been a mentor
in my district, that the training mentors have available to them is not as
effective as it could be. The district also needs to take some
responsibility in the professional development of their teacher leaders.
It is so exciting to hear about projects like Judi's where one of the
goals is to build capacity within a school. Mentors and coaches on the
school site do not only provide new teachers with easy access to support,
but these mentors know the school's climate and history.
Have a great weekend!
Jane Fung
Los Angeles
January 10, 2003 |
In Fairfax County (VA), we have a mentoring education
program, which all mentors must take before being able to serve as a
mentor for a new teacher (they can also take the course simultaneously
while serving as a mentor). This is both good and bad -- good, in that all
mentors get the same advice and encouragement to pass along to new
teachers; bad in that simply having to take another course scares away
many who would actually be great mentors, just sharing what they know. If
these programs could be transferred into a school-based program, I think
that more people would participate and it would actually promote more
camaraderie within the school. I've talked to several people who have been
through this mentoring course, and they feel it is a waste of time the way
it is currently set up.
Thom Jones
Fairfax County, VA
January 12, 2003 |
Thank you, Jane, for bringing up the subject of training
for the mentors. Which training programs seem to work the best? Those
taught by previous mentors are probably the most effective, but input from
the new teachers is also necessary. Those programs that come from top-down
administration are usually ineffective. We need the folks on the front
lines developing these programs. What do you think?
Barbara Hampton
Miami Affiliate
January 12, 2003 |
Hi Everyone,
Those of us in Miami are working on a project to support new teachers. We
are trying to involve our retired teachers as mentors to the beginning
teachers. We feel they are an untapped resource, with a lot of knowledge
to share and often with time on their hands. We are creating a selection
process, as we all know not every teacher is a good resource. Has anyone
done this? Any ideas or comments?
Thanks, in advance, for your input.
Claire Price
Miami
January 16, 2003 |
Just a Thought,
Here in Fairfax County (VA), we have what we call the WAR (Work After
Retirement) program. Quite a few retired teachers have come back into the
classroom, either as subs or long-term subs. I am utilizing one myself
when I go to the conference in February. What an invaluable resource -- I
totally agree with the utilization of these folks as mentors, although the
landscape of education has changed greatly over the past decade.
Thom Jones
Fairfax County, VA
January 16, 2003 |
Claire,
I am the administrator of a program that involves the full-time release
model of mentoring. Twenty per cent of our mentoring and peer coaching
staff are retired. As we interviewed, we required a master’s degree and
were especially interested in people who had more than one certification.
I also looked for teachers who had spent the bulk of their career in the
more challenging schools in our district as opposed to cushier
atmospheres. The dual certification screen enables us to place the mentors
with a variety of beginning teachers, not just in their former content.
Sometimes the certification involved middle and elementary and other times
it includes regular and special education. Dual certification seems to
imply that a person has a global sense of education. This is more a belief
of mine and less a theory at this point. Additionally, I like to see that
an applicant has worked for a variety of administrators. Communicating
with the school leadership about t he needs of a group of beginning
teachers is a different role than what the newly released or retired
full-time mentor is accustomed to. Our most unique, retired mentor has
recently been an assistant superintendent in human resources in another NC
district. He really knows his licensure requirements, as well as school
law. His experience as a principal also adds to our group. Best o all, he
has love for good teaching and ask teachers the right questions of
beginning teachers in his guidance of them.
More advice for you, but not on the hiring end, is in the area of
training. It is important that all of your mentors be trained in the model
that you are designing for your beginning teachers. I suggest that they
understand that they are not expected to go in and create a cadre of
teachers just like themselves, but instead that they be given in guidance
in refining the diamonds in the rough that new teachers are as separate
individuals. Regular meetings are important. Another key detail is that
the mentors should not be on the school's payroll but on a separate
payroll as kind of a mentoring faculty. When such mentors are placed on a
school payroll, their first client becomes the principal instead of the
beginning teacher. There could be confusion over job description and just
"who is in charge."
Finally, our district, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, has enjoyed great support
from the UC-Santa Cruz New Teacher Center in a national dissemination
grant from the Goldman-Sachs Foundation. Their website is
newteachercenter.org
Best wishes for successful support of beginning teachers in Miami.
Suzanne Newsom
Charlotte, NC
January 16, 2003 |
Hi, Claire,
I work part-time as a selector for the New York City Teaching Fellows, an
organization that selects people from other fields to teach in
under-resourced classrooms. Our selection model involves using a rubric to
grade each applicant during the different parts of the Interview Day. The
rubric includes things like "Critical Thinking", "Commitment", and
"Constant Learning." (I could get you the full criteria if you want.) Then
we have several facets to the interview day that help us to see different
things about the candidates: a five-minute teaching sample, a discussion
group (with other candidates) about a scenario, a writing sample (about
another scenario), and a personal interview.
It's pretty intensive (probably too much for your purposes), but I think
it's nice to see candidates in all their various "lights". If I were to
modify it or your group, I might do a discussion group around a scenario
involving helping a new teacher, and a follow-up one-on-one interview to
focus on areas of concern. I find giving scenarios (What would you do
if...?) in the personal interview particularly helpful to get at how
candidates problem-solve and act in different situations....
Hope this helps!
Marika Paez
New York City
January 16, 2003 |
Claire,
One of the many ways that Fairfax County supports beginning teachers is
through the use of retired teachers as mentors. Tina Yalen proposed this
model several years ago when she was a TNPI fellow, and her proposal was
published two cycles ago, I believe.
Gail V. Ritchie
Fairfax County, VA
January 16, 2003 |
Claire,
I know a couple of retired instructors who have worked in our feeder
pattern-I'll contact them and see if they are interested or know anyone
else who is interested.
Pam Bausher
Miami
January 17, 2003 |
Hi Claire, how are you?
I'm getting to you rather late on this and I just reread some of the great
suggestions you've received--there are a couple I'd add.
I work with a project to support new teachers in NYC. I am in the schools
as a site facilitator for 2 years. A crucial component of the project is
to get coach teachers, who are school based classroom teachers, on board
to build the school's capacity to support new teachers without an outside
facilitator.
The way we select them is that they basically self-select by doing the
work. We find the teachers who are actually already supporting new
teachers in informal or formal ways, and help set up ways to make them
more effective like creating seminars and other P.D. opportunities for
them on subjects like peer coaching, convening study, critical friends,
and support groups as well as other things they ask for. We give them
loads of support at the school level and outside.
I realize that with retired people, it is difficult to do it the way we
do, but I would definitely find out how your retired mentors have worked
with new teachers in their schools and if they felt successful--maybe even
get references from new teachers they previously worked with.
Also, and perhaps more difficult, is to look for those less tangible
qualities that we've found pretty important: are they learners themselves,
are they willing to be reflective about their own mentoring, do they
remember what it was like to be new, and are they compassionate?
I do have more to suggest, but this is getting so long! Let me know if you
want to know more and we'll talk not on the listserv! I can send you some
info about our coach teachers and how we support them too if you want. –
Judi Fenton
New York City
January 19, 2003 |
Cindy,
Some of our best and worst substitute teachers are retired teachers. I
suggest you make sure they can mentor using some form of "Coaching" model,
which seems to be the best way to help teachers grow in the profession. I
would also make sure they understand the current teaching context, which
we know has changed a great deal over the past 10 years.
Sheryn Northey
Charlotte, NC
January 20, 2003 |
Claire,
On the topic of mentoring, I'd like to address what I'm experiencing as a
National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT). One of the five foundation
philosophies considered to be a critical aspect of our practice is that
"Teachers are members of learning communities".
NBCT's encourage collaboration with other professionals, such as new
teachers and colleagues. So that we can help the new struggling
professional, Teacher Education Center (TEC) workshops have been
developed. Sessions are offered not only after school, but also on
Saturdays. Dade County also has an on-line support group.
What I'm getting at is that help is available from many NBCT across Dade
County--however, participation by new teachers outside of the daily school
schedule is minimal (from the experience of most NBCT). Keeping this point
in mind is important because sucess is attainable only when schools or
regions change the way schools are organized. The creation of lead
teachers (NPCT) positions is important. In this way we have the authority
and autonomy to engage in professional development activities at the
school site--even better still --with the teacher as she is teaching!
Regards,
Ileana Vazquez
Miami
January 20, 2003 |
Thank you to everyone who sent such wonderful suggestions
to help us with our teacher mentoring program. Thanks to Pam and Ileana,
Gail, Marika, Sheryn, Judi, and Suzanne. All your information and ideas
will be part of our planning and implementation.
Gail, I would like to get more information about the program by Tina Yolen.
Do you have her paper? Can I get a copy? Can you explain how it is set up?
Sheryn, your comment about retired teachers being some of the best/ worst
subs was very valid. I appreciate your suggestions.
Suzanne, Your idea about looking for teachers with more than one
certification was an interesting one. It would imply a commitment to
learning. I also agree that a diverse background is an advantage. Our
program will not be run by the county, and our mentors will only be paid
(possibly) through a grant we are writing. Therefore their responsibility
will be to the beginning teacher and not the principal. You are so right;
we do not want clones of our mentors, but strong, successful, new
teachers. We will be careful.
Judi, Your program sounds wonderful. I will e-mail you for more
information.
Marika, Your program sounds terrific. I would appreciate more information
on your selection rubric. I'm sure your program is more intense than ours,
but we can modify some of your guidelines. Maybe we can incorporate the
discussion group idea as part of the interview process.
Again thank you all for your support and great suggestions.
Claire Price
Miami
January 20, 2003 |
Claire,
I am really enjoying reading and learning from the current discussion
about mentoring. As Gail mentioned last week, here in Fairfax County, we
are using retired teachers as mentors (part-time) to provide instructional
support to new teachers. This is a neat "TNPI success story."
Gail mentioned Tina Yalen on her message to the listserv. Tina was a TNPI
Fellow in Fairfax during the 1996-1997 school year (she retired 4 years
ago). Several Fairfax TNPI Fellows that year focused their research on new
teacher mentoring and induction. Tina's action research is titled, The
Retired Master Teacher as Mentor: Meeting a National Need. Two years later
when I became a Fellow, my research also focused on induction and
mentoring. TNPI policy recommendations suggested using outstanding
teachers to serve as coaches/mentors as a compliment to the new teacher
mentoring and induction programs that were already firmly in place in our
district. These recommendations were incorporated into the county's thrust
in what is now called the Great Beginnings: Mentor Resource Teacher
Program (MRT). The MRT program is now in its 4th year and continues to
impact both teacher practice and student achievement (indicated by surveys
and mentor visits to classrooms). I was fortunate to have the opportunity
to pilot the MRT program full time during the 99-00 school year. When we
expanded the following year, Tina Yalen joined us as an MRT!
MRT’s are either outstanding retired teachers from our district or are
teachers who are on a leave of absence from our district. MRT's work
part-time and are provided with both initial and ongoing professional
development. Each MRT works with novice teachers to create a unique set of
goals/supports that meet individual teacher needs. The MRT program is a
part of the district-wide mentoring program--therefore, MRT’s are not
connected to the teacher evaluation program in any way.
Robyn Cochran
Fairfax County, VA
January 23, 2003
Tina's paper is available at this link from the Teachers Network page:
http://www.teachersnetwork.org/tnli/research/TPNTI/Yalen/index.htm
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Robyn,
Thank you for this valuable information on your teacher mentor program in
Fairfax. Miami's group will surely use the information from your study.
This is exactly the kind of program we are attempting to initiate here in
Miami. Again, thanks for sharing.
Barbara Hampton
Miami
January 23, 2003 |
The program Robyn described is one part of our support
for beginning teachers. Our staff development team, with Robyn leading
this, has developed this service over several years. We want to integrate
our services to beginning teachers. Hope this helps those of you who are
interested in this. You might also be interested in a staff development
article we prepared about our teacher leaders.
Sylvia Auton
Fairfax County, VA
January 24, 2003 |
Hi, Claire (and everyone),
I wrote to our director of selection about forwarding you the rubric for
our selection model. He said I couldn't give you the direct names of the
"Competencies", as we call them, but the information below should be
almost as helpful. Let me know if you have more questions...
Marika Paez
New York City
January 25, 2003
The New Teacher Project believes that the most important determinant of
teachers' success is the nature of their fundamental personality and
character traits. We have developed a very specific, manageable list of
selection criteria that identify and define as comprehensively as possible
the character and personality traits that, regardless of the individuals'
experience or training in education, we have found our most successful
teachers to have. These traits include the following leadership qualities:
- Achievement in past endeavors
- Strong writing, thinking, and speaking skills
- Evidence of constant learning
- Ability to maintain a sense of perspective in difficult situations
- Sensitivity and respect for others
- Commitment to under-resourced schools and communities
- Belief in high expectations for all students
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Hi Robyn,
Thanks for all the information about your MRT program. It sounds
wonderful. I know both the mentors and the beginning teachers must
benefit. Can you tell me how it is funded? Do the mentors get paid? Who
does the training of the mentors? Thank you for including the information
on Tina's paper. Your support is much appreciated.
Thanks again,
Claire Price
Miami
January 28, 2003
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