Good advice for teacher leaders who really want to help newbies

On Halloween, Roxanna Elden celebrated the 9th anniversary of "my own first-year teacher breakdown, when I pulled into the parking lot of a Houston Burger King and cried in my car for several hours." She commemorates the occasion with this blog post at Public School Insights, aimed not so much at newbies themselves, but at the teachers who might do more harm than good unless they think carefully about the kind of help they give. Here's a sample -- click the link below to read all of her excellent advice.

“Be consistent.” / “Set high expectations.” / “Stay organized.”
It is seldom helpful to redirect rookies to the general principles served up in teacher training programs. Chances are, new teachers have heard these suggestions and are struggling to put them into practice. In mid-November, a rookie teacher’s most pressing question is not likely to be, “Should I set high expectations?” It is more likely to be, “How do I set an expectation of college readiness when, despite my best efforts, only two of my students regularly turn in homework?” To be truly helpful, suggestions should be case-specific and as realistic as possible.

via www.learningfirst.org

Comments

[J. Meier]

Having beginning teachers observe experienced teacher's classrooms is also an effective way to help develop strategies that work in the classroom. This way different teaching and classroom management styles can be observed. Often times the theories taught in teacher's college do not work in the "real world". I completely agree that advice given to new teachers should be case specific. New teachers should have a dedicated mentor, an experienced teacher that they feel comfortable with, that will address any concerns or questions they have.