Teacher to Teacher - December 2008 - (Page 4)

How it is to be new RemembeRing D o you remember your first year of teaching? All of us teachers have stories to tell of that first year in the classroom. After completing a degree in education (including a modified semester of student teaching) and our diplomas in hand, we walked confidently (or maybe not so confidently) into our first classroom. I vividly remember my first year of teaching and the many lessons I learned. I will ever be grateful to my seasoned colleagues and the administrator who shepherded me through those difficult months. After completing almost twenty-four years of teaching, I now have the privilege of working with college seniors who are completing their student teaching and will soon be graduating and walking into their own first classrooms. What will their experience be like? Who will be there to help them “learn the ropes” and guide them around the pitfalls of the first year of teaching? Will they be around twenty years from now to share their success stories? According to recent studies, 40 to 50 percent of first-year teachers will drop out of teaching within the first seven years of their experience. This trend, combined with the facts that fewer young people are choosing teaching as a profession and increasingly higher numbers of experienced teachers are retiring each year, makes it difficult for schools to keep talented professionals in the classroom. So what will help first-year teachers be successful and stay in teaching? I am increasingly convinced that the answer is administrators and seasoned teachers who help the new teacher to deal with the many transitions from the college classroom to his own classroom. Instead of depositing him into an empty classroom, providing him with teacher’s editions, and leaving him emotionally and professionally on page 4 Teacher to Teacher | December 2008 his own, the administrator and other experienced teachers must help him draw upon his college training and limited experiences to become an effective teacher. The Professional Transition Most likely, the only experience the new teacher has had prior to his first year is a modified semester that included several weeks of student teaching. Before he comes in, the school faculty should design a support system to help the new employee settle into his position without becoming overwhelmed. A dedicated orientation program will familiarize the new teacher with the ministry, his professional responsibilities, and the community where he will serve. A successful transition into the profession requires the understanding of policies and procedures, the development of organizational skills, the ability to plan effectively, the willingness to learn from others, and the growth of the professional confidence that comes only with time. The best help is a caring mentor teacher who can provide encouragement, direction, and accountability. The investment of time and love in the new teacher will pay rich dividends for the ministry for years to come. The Personal Transition The first year of teaching brings personal challenges as well as professional ones. In some cases, the new hire may have just recently been married. In other cases, the new hire may be trying to balance professional responsibilities while maintaining a dating relationship. Other emotional challenges that plague the young teacher may be loneliness, homesickness, isolation, or uncertainty about his place in the ministry. Dealing with these relational issues can sometimes be so overwhelming that a young teacher’s ability to perform his professional duties appropriately is diffused.

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Teacher to Teacher - December 2008

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