Writing new teachers into the profession
by Carmen Graber, DWP 2006 SI participant
Have you ever walked down the hallways of a high school while classes are being taught? The doors are closed, and if you peer inside, the activity does not invite you to interrupt. Think for a moment what impact an isolated setting like this has on a new teacher.
Typical teacher education programs provide four years of instruction in content area, teaching methods and, maybe, technology. Most provide three classroom experiences: the first being a time of observation, the second more observation with some participation, and finally student teaching. The student teaching phase varies with each school, but most require only a minimum of two weeks where the student teacher is in full charge of all of the classes. Next come a test for content knowledge and an application for certification. And the student becomes a teacher.
With the first teaching assignment, an administrator shows the new teacher to her/his room and then walks out of the room, closing the door behind her/him, and leaving the teacher to sink or swim. The only persons who come through that door after that are the students. The new teacher is adrift, alone in the world, with seemingly no one to turn to for help. And even if there were someone willing to help, new teachers are ingrained with the idea that they should not need any help; after all, they have just finished four years of training. However, what other profession expects a transition from student to professional to occur without any guidance or wisdom from someone experienced in the profession? Perhaps, this is why the teaching profession loses many of its professionals within the first year of practice.
The National Education Association recently published results from research stating that twenty percent of new teachers leave the profession after the first year of teaching. Nearly half of all teachers leave the profession within five years of joining the profession; thus, the average age of the public school teacher (grades K-12) is age 43. We could be headed toward a time when there are teacher shortages due to retirement of those teachers who are currently in the profession. How can schools retain new teachers and, perhaps, renew experienced teachers? One way is to open the door of the classroom: eliminate the feelings of isolation and begin practicing what we preach, that learning is a life-long process and we can all learn from each other.
While it is not a new idea, many states are offering mentors for new teachers. But just what should a new teacher/mentor program look like? There are many models that can be used, but having completed such a program, I feel I can offer some insights as to what elements are necessary to make a new teacher/mentor program successful.
New teacher/mentor programs are always built on relationships. Trust must be built for a successful program. This means that the mentor should not be in a position of evaluating the new teacher, but instead should be a guide. Both the new teacher and the mentor must commit to the process and must be willing to put time and thought into the process. In many situations, time is the most difficult part of these programs. Participants are encouraged to set aside a specific time each week to get together, go over the past week, and talk about the coming week. While this is fine in theory, the reality is another story altogether. In his book Letters to a New Teacher: A Month-by-Month Guide to the Year Ahead, Jim Burke shares letters he wrote to a first-year teacher in his school, a teacher whom he had volunteered to mentor. This was not part of a structured program, but simply something Burke felt compelled to do. Burke’s mentoring strategy consisted of the new teacher writing questions to him on an index card and leaving the card in his mailbox. He in turn, wrote letters, pages long, in response.
Burke refers to becoming an educator: “The Latin word educare means to draw out, which is what you continually do to yourself when posing questions to me and, through your letter, to yourself” (17). The heart of Burke’s advice is based in writing. Burke admits that he probably would have spent less time answering the new teacher’s questions if they were asked face to face; however, he points out how much he learned by reflecting and writing out the answers. Burke also feels the new teacher put more thought and reflection into her questions when she put them in writing. Writing thoughts and feelings on paper adds permanence to them. It is an indication of caring, quality and worth.
An advantage of writing out questions and responses rather than having face-to-face meetings is that writing allows both the new teacher and the mentor the flexibility of time. The new teacher is able to write down questions as they come up during a class, either at the moment or between classes. This ensures that the question is not lost or forgotten. When the new teacher has a few minutes at the end of the day, at school or at home, she/he can review the questions and decide which ones truly need an answer from the mentor. If the questions do not require answers from the mentor, the new teacher could use them for personal written reflection.
From a mentor’s standpoint, I will rely on Burke’s comments about his own learning during the process of writing letters to a new teacher. Speaking of the questions he received, Burke writes: “They became assignments to go off into the hills and think about the work I love so much” (3). Many mentoring programs stress face-to-face meetings between the new teacher and the mentor on a weekly basis. I experienced benefits from these meetings; however, following Burke’s lead to write letters can add depth that cannot happen during a weekly meeting. Burke refers to the letters he wrote to the new teacher “as a form of personal professional development, as part of an ongoing conversation between us that became, through these letters, a very rich personal meditation on our work as teachers” (2). How often do new teachers and mentors have the luxury of time to maintain an ongoing conversation? When the conversation is in writing, nothing will be lost or forgotten.
Even though Burke does not speak of written reflection for the new teacher, I found this is a good practice. During the program I participated in, new teachers were required to complete a minimum of three reflections each week. These reflections were about the triumphs, the failures, and the questions in our classrooms. These reflections were turned in to the program director at our monthly meeting and were used as an assessment tool to chart our progress as teachers. I believe the role of these reflections could be expanded to provide even greater learning. Writing takes on new meaning when it is shared with others and when others are given the opportunity to respond to what is written. New teachers could choose one reflection to share with other new teachers each month at the meeting. This could spark discussions about issues that are specific to new teachers but that do not require the expertise of the mentor. Sharing with other new teachers who are experiencing similar situations can eliminate some of the feelings of isolation. Since the mentors in the program were also required to write personal reflections, they, too, could share one each month with the other mentors. All of the reflections would still be submitted to the program director.
Writing provides connections between people. It also provides the opportunity for honest reflection. Connections and reflections are two things that can open the door for new teachers. Perhaps, writing letters and reflections are one way to retain teachers and ensure the quality of educators for years to come.
Burke, Jim, and Krajicek, Joy. Letters to a New Teacher: A Month-By-Month Guide to the Year Ahead. Portsmouth: Heinemann, 2006.
