If
you have new teachers in your building, you are likely busy giving them the
information they’ll need to be successful in your school. Among the things you might be giving are:
*The
details of the building schedule: Who
goes where when.
*Information
about supplies: What is available
through the school and district, what funds are available for them to purchase
additional materials
*Guidance
with technology: What technology do they
need to access (for attendance, testing, instruction, e-mail) and how do they
access it (navigating, setting up accounts, passwords)
*Reminders
about duties: When are they expected to be on the
playground? In the lunchroom? In the hallways? Do they need to pick students up from special
classes and programs, or will someone else bring them back?
*Share
building rituals: Do teachers wear
jeans on Friday? School t-shirts? Is there a monthly birthday celebration?
Designated pot-luck or snack days? How are holidays celebrated – in the
classroom and by the staff?
There’s
a plethora of details that keep a school functioning, and for veteran teachers
these details have become an invisible part of the routine. As a coach or mentor, you can uncover those
specifics and help the new teacher learn the ropes in her new home. She’ll be grateful for these gifts.
But
while you’re busy giving, open yourself up to what you can receive from these
new teachers – the gifts they have to give:
Energy: New
teachers bring vitality, unfettered by burnout that sometimes occurs after
multiple repetitions of the school-year routine. Be careful not to squelch their energy with, “just
you wait!” Instead, allow yourself to be
buoyed up and refueled by their momentum.
Determination: Similarly,
new teachers are often tenacious.
They haven’t been worn down by change after change, innovation and
innovation, and piles of administrative red tape. New teachers often have a vision for things
as the could be and a will to make that happen.
Take a lesson from their firm resolve, and be the change you want to
see.
Innovative Ideas: Whether
it is a different pedagogical approach, a new use of technology, or
different ideas about classroom management, the new teachers in your school can
bring freshness to routines that have become commonplace. Encourage new teachers to share their ideas
during staff meetings, and make a space for their ideas to be heard, rather
than shut down, by building bridges between their ideas and those of veteran
teachers.
Having
new teachers in a school definitely requires time, effort, and sharing on the
part of the coach. By letting yourself
be on the receiving end as well, you’ll build relationships and likely feel
renewed by the process.
This week, you might want to
take a look at:
A
video sharing strategies for teaching the whole child:
This
article is about teaching in kindergarten, but the thoughts about supporting
students in developing social and life skills are equally relevant to teachers
of other grades:
This
video with ideas about helping kids develop a growth mindset:
Suggestions
for using advertising
to teach critical thinking:
11
tips to turn every reader into a close reader:
https://fs24.formsite.com/edweek/images/WP-Great-Books-11-Tips-to-Turn-Every-Student-Into-a-Close-Reader.pdf
That's it for this week. Happy Coaching!
That's it for this week. Happy Coaching!
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