Teaching the New Teachers

In July of 2005 I started my first teaching job in a new city. I was teaching seventh grade ELA and my only prior teaching experience was with first grade and kindergarten. There was a two-day induction for all teachers new to the district and we were assigned our classrooms and that was it. 

I waited anxiously for my new colleagues to roll out the red carpet, welcome me with open arms, and tell me what to do. I quickly realized the cavalry was not coming to save the day and I was indeed on my own. 

I persevered that first year and was as successful as I could be. I liked the school and the students. I eventually found colleagues to collaborate with and made some great life long friends. It was harder than I thought it needed to be though. 

A few years later, after another new start in a new city. I found an opportunity to start a new teacher group with a colleague. We met before school with teachers new to our school each week to answer questions, problem solve, and create community. It was exactly what I so desperately wanted back at my first teaching job. 

I have been leading the group for many years now and have seen so many of my new teachers become amazing professionals. A few have advanced their careers by moving school sites and becoming coordinators and coaches. Some have moved to different districts. And still others have left the profession completely. 

Each year I am reminded of the true passion one needs to have to be an educator. It is a dynamic career that is truly different every day. The work is never easy. But sometimes being helpful is as simple as showing someone how to use a copy machine and sometimes it is sitting with them as they vent their frustration, cry, or laugh at the day. I love all of it. 

Working with new teachers not only helps them but also helps me to keep grounded in the work done every day in the classroom. I am proud of the program I have helped to build and would encourage anyone who meets a new teacher to offer whatever assistance you can. Sometimes it feels like you are in the ocean with no one around for miles and a life line from a colleague could make all the difference in the world. It has to me, time and time again. 

Meeting Students Where They Are

Learning loss. 

Post traumatic stress. 

Post traumatic growth. 

Social emotional learning. 

Resilience. 

These are all terms that are being discussed in the realm of education right now as we continue to navigate the world that changed so abruptly in early 2020. However, as the pandemic rolls on and students, families, and staff continue to be affected daily, at the school site, we are not focused on these terms. Yes, we use them when talking to stakeholders and we discuss them in professional development sessions as we learn to navigate our current circumstances but when it comes to our students, we simply meet them where they are. 

Last year, my morning job was to check students' daily passes to ensure they were healthy and could enter the school building. This meant that I got to see almost every single student come into school, learn his or her or their name, and say good morning. This year, as protocols have changed, I was a bit saddened that I would not be at the same post, doing the same job. But imagine my excitement when I learned that I would be posted at the front door of the school and would still able to greet most of our students as they come into the building. 

Research has shown that an adult saying good morning to students can be the most positive interaction they have in a day. Some say good morning back, some wave, some walk right on by like I am not even there. But it doesn’t matter because I am meeting every student where they are. 

In the spirit of meeting people where they are, part of our staff development this year has been on social emotional learning and how important it is to check in on students and allow them the time and space they need to grow and acclimate to the school setting. Our leadership team was able to create kits for all of our classroom teachers to support students in this social emotional learning environment.

We included journals, growth mindset prompts, Rubik’s Cubes, stress balls, and more. This is one more way to meet students where they are. 

As we begin the 2022-2023 school year, we are making a concerted effort to help students feel not only welcome in our community but wanted. One way we're doing this is by planning clubs that will meet during lunch and after school to encourage students to get to know others in the community with shared interests and interact in positive ways. It's new and exciting and I hope, just one of the first steps in along this new path we're taking. 

Meeting kids where they are is going to allow us to help with learning loss, social emotional health, and resiliency. It’s not a buzzword, it’s not new, it’s what dedicated educators have always done and will continue to do.