Follow-Up: The Four-Letter Word That Can Help New Teachers

Follow-Up: The Four-Letter Word That Can Help New Teachers

By Kate Mulcahy on January 24, 2012 2:35 PM

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_ahead/2012/01/the_four-letter_word_that_can_prepare_new_teachers_for_success.html

It's a four-letter word, but it's what most teachers would say when asked to name the key factor in improving our profession: Time. We need more time to plan, learn, and collaborate, so that our time with students is more effective. And it shouldn't be surprising that (as my colleagues have stated in their responses below) preservice teachers need more guided time in classrooms.

Ideally, a new teacher should develop her own craft under the guidance of a mentor. As policy expert Dana Barlin states, "One of a mentor's chief jobs is to help a new teacher close the 'knowing-doing' gap by learning to apply knowledge of best practices to daily classroom routines."

A new teacher should see educational theory applied in real time by a skilled veteran and not have to guess what it's supposed to look like in her own classroom. The knowing-doing gap can be disheartening for a new teacher who is comparing her chaotic classroom to the ideal classrooms of her teacher-education textbooks, and she could easily settle on blaming herself for her classroom short comings, questioning whether she should be a teacher at all.

Skilled veterans can also benefit from mentoring experiences. My own mentor told me that having a new teacher in her classroom kept her teaching "fresh." In my own experience, I have seen the pendulum can swing to the other extreme: after several years of teaching, even the best teacher can lose his or her connections with new techniques or technologies. A new teacher will bring new ideas.

Finally, as Anna pointed out, if new teachers had the time to develop their skills under the leadership of a mentor, students might not suffer the growing pains. Right now, most new teachers (62 percent, by one estimate) feel underprepared. Consider this next to the fact that 50 percent of teachers leave the profession after only five years (nice—if sobering—stats, Linda!). By not taking the time to fully prepare our new teachers, it's clear that we are setting them up to fail.

Now, I'm no statistician, but I know that this situation adds up to trouble for our kids—who matter most, and would most benefit from new teachers having more quality time in a mentor's classroom. They would have confident, capable teachers who would be there—more than a year or two—to support their students. The only question is will our profession move itself out of the current broken teacher-educational model? Seems like only time will tell.

Kate Mulcahy, a Boettcher Teachers Program graduate, has taught for five years as an English & English-Language Learner teacher at Northglenn High School in Colorado.


Reflections

We all know teaching is complex. My own high schools teachers often stood in front of the class, lectured, and covered curriculum - some did not even learn students' names. To be effective, you needed to know your subject material and be able to manage the classroom so students sat quietly in rows. Fortunately, I had a forward-thinking mathematics education instructor when earning my BEd teaching degree along with an associate teacher who allowed me to try non-traditional teaching practices.

I know why I have been an effective educator - throughout my career, I have had experienced educators and mentors who have supported and invested in my professional growth and development. Take my first year of teaching, my math department head was assigned as my mentor at the all-girls independent school. The endless hours he spent listening and offering advice to me made all the difference from quitting. During my second to fifth years of teaching, my mentor was my math head in Belleville. Again, I had a mentor who sterring me in the right direction. When I transferred to the York Region DSB, I was given leadership positions as assistant math head, math head, and now vice-principal. I konw I would never had gotten to where I am without former principals and vice-principals who served as mentors and encouraged me. Teaching is a journey and life-long learning -- it is an art and science.

As I have grown so much through my mentors, I have given back to the profession by hosting 20 teacher candidates and volunteers. It's always welcoming to know the latest happenings in the faculty of education. Observing teacher candidates in the classroom allows me to reflect on my own practices.

New teachers bring enthusiasm and passion to the profession. Experienced teachers bring experience to the profession. We need each other! In Ontario, we have the New Teacher Induction Programme (NTIP) in which each new teacher is assigned an experienced teacher to serve as mentor. For NTIP to truly be beneficial, it would be great for the mentor to visit the new teacher's classroom (and vice-versa) and offer descriptive feedback on the lesson - non-evaluative. The professional dialogue would be growth to both mentor and mentee. Trust is so important to make this work.

As a vice-principal, I do my best to support new teachers. I will never forget those who supported and encouraged me. Teaching is difficult - especially if you are assigned to courses that the experienced teachers don't want (fortunately I didn't get that). When I was department head, I always believed the toughest courses should go to experienced teachers. New teachers are hired for potential - it's our responsibility to ensure they experience a successful year. Now in my 16th year in education, I still have the passion and enthusiasm for teaching as I did when I was a teacher candidate.