Subject: Survival Guide for New Teachers
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2000 16:59:29 -0400
From: "Winters, Kirk" <Kirk_Winters@ed.gov>
Reply-To: edinfo@inet.ed.gov
To: "Information from & about the U.S. Department of Education publications & more ." <edinfo@inet.ed.gov>

IF YOU ARE A NEW TEACHER -- or if you work alongside someone who is -- the "Survival Guide for New Teachers" is for you.

In it, award-winning first-year teachers talk candidly about their successes & setbacks during that first year. They tell about the importance of forming relationships with professors, parents, & colleagues. Many of these 53 teachers speak of the need for hands-on assistance from mentor teachers.

Why is it so important to help first-year teachers succeed? Nationally, 22% of new teachers leave the profession in the first 3 years, often because of our "sink or swim" approach to induction. This exodus costs taxpayers money for retraining & leaves a significant portion of the teaching force with little professional experience. The greatest cost is borne by students, whose learning is affected by the high turnover & unstable educational programs that often result.

This 27-page guide includes tips for working with veteran teachers, parents, principals, & professors. Below are excerpts from the guide, which is available at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/survivalguide/

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"SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR NEW TEACHERS: How New Teachers Can Work Effectively With Veteran Teachers, Parents, Principals, & Teacher Educators" (May 2000) was written by Amy DePaul & published by the Office of Educational Research & Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education. It is based on September 1997 interviews with winners of the Sallie Mae First Class Teacher Award, which recognizes outstanding elementary & secondary educators during their first year of teaching.
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Working with Veteran Teachers
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First-year teachers look to veterans to...

* Share lesson plans that put curriculum guides into practice.
* Support & participate in a new teachers' planning process.
* Offer tips on the practical problems new teachers didn't learn about in school -- make do with fewer resources, classroom management, bureaucracy.
* Show respect & collegial support.
* Observe new teachers' classes & let them observe yours.
* Help teachers locate materials.

Tips on Building a Relationship with Veteran Teachers
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* Ask to visit colleagues' classrooms so you can learn about different approaches to teaching & find one you admire.
* Seek the help of a mentor who has skills & knowledge you would like to develop.
* If your assigned mentor is not helpful, seek out an informal mentor relationship that provides more support
* Look to your team teachers for help.
* Don't reinvent the wheel: before you begin developing a curriculum unit, find out if any veteran teachers have materials or insights that would jumpstart your efforts.
* Be willing to admit you have a lot to learn from experienced teachers.

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First-year teacher Shalon Cole (South Bend, Indiana) is not likely to forget walking into her classroom & finding a table covered with presents from her fellow teachers -- a supply of much-needed classroom materials.

New teachers like Shalon appreciate any effort -- large or small -- that veteran teachers make to welcome them. "All staff members at the school need to make new teachers feel welcomed," says Susan Woodward (Merrimack, New Hampshire). "Just showing a smile helps."

Yet, many first-year teachers said they sought more than an open door & a friendly greeting. They wanted to sit down with veteran teachers regularly & work side by side, gaining real-world insights from their more experienced colleagues.

"I set up a relationship with a veteran teacher before I started my first year," says Claudia Crase (Helena, Montana). "We set up a time every day. We would talk & listen to each other & set goals for the next week."

Getting access to knowledgeable veteran teachers can be a challenge. Some first-year teachers we interviewed initiated a relationship with a mentor rather than waiting for a veteran teacher to step forward. In an unusual case, one first-year Sallie Mae teacher drove 500 miles to meet with another first-grade teacher. ...
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Working with Parents
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First-year teachers look to parents to...

* Show support for learning at home.
* Communicate positive feedback about a teacher's influence or performance.
* Welcome new teachers.
* Volunteer to help in the classroom.
* Support fair discipline measures that teachers impose.
* Refrain from assuming the worst about first-year teachers.
* See that children do their homework.
* Offer the workplace for a field trip when appropriate.
* Talk to a teacher directly about a problem.
* Become active partners in education.

Tips for Working With Parents
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* Contact parents early -- before a problem occurs,
particularly when there's good news to report.
* Consider writing a weekly newsletter or report on classroom learning & activities.
* Invite parents to come into the classroom & assign them tasks if they are willing.
* Involve them in reading groups & remedial assistance when possible, being aware that all parents may not read or write English.
* Let parents know how they can reinforce classroom learning at home; consider asking them to sign a contract in which they agree to make sure children complete homework & other home learning activities.
* Visit families in their homes if possible to see firsthand how well learning is supported there.
* Address parents' concerns head on. If you are taking a pedagogical approach that raises questions, work to show parents the benefits of your methods & explain your reasoning to them.
* Hold a parent meeting the first month of the school year in which you talk about your expectations for student achievement & behavior, leave time for questions, & if you don't know the answer promise to call soon with one.

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"From the very beginning, I knew the importance of soliciting help from parents," says Julie Gutierrez (Richardson, Texas). "I sent a weekly newsletter home explaining our week's worth of activities, & in it, I gave ideas for working with the children. Conferences & phone calls also served as wonderful opportunities for me to get parents involved. Periodically, I sent papers explaining developmental stages of reading & writing so that parents might gauge their child's progress & look forward to the next step. It's amazing how quickly a child can achieve mastery when the support of a parent is present."
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Working With Principals
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First-year teachers look for principals to...

* Spend time with teachers, visiting their classrooms & looking at their lesson plans.
* Be available for individual conferences.
* Set up a mentor program & arrange meetings for first-year teachers.
* Make professional development opportunities available.
* Enable teachers to work closely with one another, through meetings & team teaching assignments.
* Allow for planning time.
* Educate parents about what they can do to support their children's education.
* Avoid assigning all the most challenging children to the new teacher.
* Hold an orientation to the school.
* Provide adequate supplies, & clarify what items teachers will have to buy.
* Advocate for teachers to parents & students.
* Create a disciplined environment.
* Help teachers with difficult situations with parents.

Tips for Building a Relationship with Principals
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* Ask for professional development opportunities.
* Seek assistance in setting up a mentor relationship if a program is not already in place.
* Request that a principal visit your classroom & give you constructive feedback prior to the formal evaluation period.
* Request time to meet with your principal.

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Working with College & University Professors
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First-year teachers look to college & university education professors to...

* Offer practical courses that reflect reality: lack of resources, classroom management.
* Institute a formal follow-up to find out how the graduates are doing in their new jobs.
* Be in touch for questions or concerns by e-mail.
* Provide more top-quality classroom experience.

Tips on Working With College & University Education Professors
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* Take part in follow-up programs for recent education graduates, & if there is no such program, stay in touch with fellow graduates during the first years on the job to compare experiences.
* Give university professors feedback on how well their classes prepared you for a teaching career.
* Make yourself available to professors after you graduate to visit the campus & describe your professional experiences.


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Related information that may be of interest:
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> "The Induction of New Teachers" (a chapter in "Promising
Practices: New Ways to Improve Teacher Quality," September
1998) -- http://www.ed.gov/pubs/PromPractice/chapter5.html

> The Department's Teacher Quality website
(http://www.ed.gov/inits/teachers/index.html), which
includes a section called "Preparing New Teachers"
(http://www.ed.gov/inits/teachers/prepare.html) & "What to
Expect Your First Year of Teaching" (September 1998,
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/FirstYear/).

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Tracy Sisser, Peter Kickbush, & Kirk Winters
U.S. Department of Education
tracy_sisser@ed.gov