Whether you're a first time teacher or someone looking for something fresh, the most important thing it to be open to criticism and listen when people are telling you something. Watch experienced teachers, talk to parents and administrators and most importantly, care about what you're doing. Being a teacher is a VERY important job.
The Importance of Support - You Are NOT Alone
Wether your a trained teacher or new to the trade, it is really important to realize that there is help out there and that you are not alone. Your classroom issues are not unique. Your planning problems are not unusual. Your waves of enthusiasm are not uncommon. Forums, mentor teachers, extra courses and professional organizations are at your fingertips and as a Footprints teacher we do all we can to support you and guide you.
Dissatisfied first-year teachers exit the profession in record numbers after or during their first year, leaving a significant portion of the teaching force with little professional experience. The exodus takes perhaps its greatest toll on students, whose productivity is affected by the high turnover and unstable educational programs that are often the result. Fortunately, Footprints hold unique status in this industry with a teacher success rate of over 90%. In the face of industry statistics and the rigors of the teaching profession, we are proud that we are so successful and we attribute that success to our teacher support and to the quality of the schools and teaching opportunities we represent. This great statistic is also the result of our policy of transparency. We let our teachers know as much information about what is facing them so Footprints teachers can make informed decisions.
Beyond these factors, we have several other suggestions for teachers and we provide tips and tricks in our Teacher Newsletter.
Have you ever taken the time to ask one of your colleagues if you can sit in on his or her class? Have you asked him or her to sit in on yours? Professional criticism and observation are very powerful tools. "I never sat in anyone else's classroom even once," laments a first-year teacher, "Mine is the only teaching style I know. I felt that sometimes I was reinventing the wheel."
Look to Veteran Teachers to...
- Share lesson plans that put curriculum guides into practice;
- Support and participate in a new teachers' planning process;
- Offer tips on the practical problems like classroom management;
- Show respect and collegial support;
- Observe new teachers' classes and let them observe yours; and
- Help teachers locate materials.
Tips on Building a Relationship with Veteran Teachers
- Ask to visit colleagues' classrooms so you can learn about different approaches to teaching and find one you admire;
- Seek the help of a mentor who has skills and 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; and
- Be willing to admit you have a lot to learn from experienced teachers.
