Encouragement for New Teachers
As many of you know, being a new teacher is extremely difficult. The National Education Association (NEA) states in this article that 50% of teachers leave the profession in the first five to seven years. And a National Public Radio (NPR) Education article discusses how the loss of new teachers is costing school districts billions of dollars with teacher turnover. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Eric and I have over 50 years of combined teaching experience at the elementary and middle school levels. We have seen new teachers in our district and surrounding districts struggle and sometimes leave the profession. It is up to veteran teachers to step up and help new teachers through their first few years.
We have witnessed first year teachers struggle to the point of wanting to quit within the first few months. There was one teacher who would be crying during lunch and at the end of the day. Eric and I would constantly offer her advice and pointers, but she continued to struggle with the demands of being a new teacher. We took it upon ourselves to be mentors to her and share our ideas and resources, what has worked for us in regard to classroom management, how to deal with parents, and the constant day to day operations of a classroom. The teacher responded well to this, and we feel that we helped her to be a successful teacher in our school district.
What Can Veteran Teachers Do?
How can we, as educators, administrators, and even parents support new teachers as they enter the profession? We have asked some educators to share one of the biggest lessons that they learned as a new teacher. It should be a lesson from their first or second year of teaching. We are hoping that the advice from these amazing educators will help first year teachers stay in the profession.
Click the following links to read their advice& hop along our Book Tour!
Primary Flourish
Along with these veteran teachers’ personal reflections we’re offering a free mini ebook, “Ten Things to Accomplish Before Back to School.” All you need to do is simply subscribe to our newsletter. It is our hope that this resource provides you with a great starting point for a new teacher.
There is no other profession that has such an impact on the future of children. Let’s do our best to make sure that the adults in front of these children are equipped with the skills and confidence they need to succeed.
First Year Teacher Ebook
Make sure to check out our First Year Teacher eBook filled with pages of ideas, tips, hints, and advice for beginning teachers. This is a “must have” for any new educator. Some of the chapters included in the book focus on the time before the school year starts, a week before the students arrive, the first few weeks, conferences, testing, teacher evaluation, and the end of the school year.
Also, you will not want to miss our First Year Teacher Resource Guide that is loaded with 40 resources ready to use in the classroom. We have included activities for back to school, testing, and the end of the school year. First year teachers will love it!
Remember, you were once a first year teacher. What can you do to ensure the success of new teachers in your district?
If you would like to be a part of our newsletter that will be full of tips, hints, strategies, and free resources to use in your classroom click here.