Ideas to Support and Celebrate New Teachers

It's that time of the year when school is starting and a new crop of teachers are joining the teaching ranks.  

Richard Ingersoll is a professor of Education and Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, and he does a lot of research in the area of teacher recruitment, retention, and the teaching force. 

In the National Teacher Principal Survey of 2015-16, he tells us that there are more beginning teachers than before and that teaching has a higher attrition rate than police officers. 

Knowing these statistics, we've got to be intentional in our schools about providing support to our new teachers. 

How can school leaders support new teachers and impact retention? The four items below are from an Edweek article titled, "What do Beginning Teachers Really Need?"

1. Being accessible. Can I walk to his/her office door and have a quick word?
2. Being instructional. Is he/she sharing strategies that help me be a better teacher in my classroom?
3. Being protective. Does he or she “have my back” if a parent is angry or a student is disrupting class?
4. Being communicative. Am I always aware of what’s going on, or do I hear things first from students or from the community?

I worked with a team of experienced teachers to create a new teacher orientation experience that would allow our new teachers to get to know each other, get to know me, and walk away with practical knowledge that they would need to have a smooth start to the school year. 

We modeled "Get to know you" activities with our new teachers that could be easily implemented during the first few days of school.

Teachers worked in groups to solve clues for the building scavenger hunt. 

An experienced teacher guided them through the building, and they picked up office supplies at every other stop.

We invited "newish" teachers (3 years or less experience at our school) to talk about how to survive floating, tips for success, and what they wish they had known before taking the job.

As another layer of support in our new teacher program, each new teacher is assigned a mentor. It is generally someone in their PLC or department, and it's a person who is organized, caring, supportive, and passionate about teaching. 

During the year, I hold small group meetings during teacher off periods where we discuss parent communication, culturally responsive classrooms, personal wellness, classroom management, and more. 

One of my favorite events this year was our "New Teacher Signing Day."

The news covered the event, just like they do when our athletes sign college scholarships.

It was a huge hit with our entire staff, especially our "signees." It's a tradition that we'll continue every year!


Share your ideas for supporting and celebrating new teachers. You can leave me a comment below or reach out to me on twitter. 

Resources:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2018/10/today_teaching_force_richard_ingersoll.html

Non-negotiables for schools - is JOY one of them?

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I strongly believe in the power of relationships and that every student needs at least one "go-to" adult in their school. 

So recently while at a state leadership conference, I attended a session led by Carla Tantillo Philbert (@_coolclassroom) called "Strengthening Staff and Student Relationships via Social-Emotional Learning and Mindfulness."  I'm always looking for new ideas on how to increase my and other's abilities to connect with students. 

In the session, she talked about the non-negotiables at her school. She called them the no matter whats. 

At her school, it was a non-negotiable that adults wouldn't use eye rolls and that adults wouldn't say, "Shut up." While I think we can all agree that these are great reminders and that they shouldn't be used in a school, it got me to thinking about unwritten rules that we have for school staffs. At her school, it was known, it was discussed, and it was stated out loud. 

We were all raised differently, with different family, educational, and social experiences, so what may be acceptable to one person may not be acceptable to another. Additionally, if empathy is the building block of good relationships, we must seek to understand our differences and create no matter whats for our schools that are inclusive for ALL of our students.  

In a previous post, I shared advice from expert Cynthia Tobias about non-negotiables. While she gives advice on how to deal with a strong-willed child, I believe her advice stands true when working with most students. 

Here are some areas where schools can discuss and decide on their non-negotiables:

• Communication with students
• Communication with parents
• Administrative support
• Assessment
• Joy
• Classroom Climate
• Teacher Collaboration 
• Instructional Technology
• Lesson Design
• Professional Learning
• Instruction
• Equity
• (What else would you add to this list?)

It's important that we explicitly define what our non-negotiables are in our schools. 

I hope you will share in the comments your examples of non-negotiables you have for yourself and ones that your schools have established. Our work matters, and we're better together!

Teachers use Flipgrid to leave words of encouragement for students

Have you caught the "Flipgrid Fever" yet? 

As the school year winds down, you may find Flipgrid to be the perfect option to capture reflections, stories, advice for future students. 


Flipgrid fever started last fall at our school at a day of teacher-led PD, where teachers could choose their sessions - from Instagram to Edpuzzle to Canvas to Kahoot to Flipgrid. 

Flipgrid was a huge HIT with teachers across our building in different disciplines. 

Lots of fun and convo as @HooverHighBucs teachers learn about @Flipgrid from @WizofWazz and @_Mrs_Hawk_ this morning! #HooverPride pic.twitter.com/RdQtuBfclh

— Jennifer Hogan | Educator. Blogger. Speaker. (@Jennifer_Hogan) October 8, 2018

There are some teachers at our school who were a part of our Technology Professional Learning Series this year, and they have been using it for book talks, class reviews, class messages, and more!

As April was drawing to a close and the last month of school approaching, thoughts of finishing the year strong were on my mind. For a schoolwide professional development day last month, my part was the opening of the day. I knew I wanted my time with the staff to be interactive and meaningful. 

My friend Debbie Campbell shared several motivational quotes and videos with me as I was trying to decide what to include in my presentation to the staff.

I shared the quote above with the teachers and reminded them of the power of our words. 



The video is powerful, and it's a great reminder of the influence we have as teachers to positively impact a child's life. 

After watching the video, teachers were asked to leave a a few words of encouragement for our students as exams were aproaching and stress levels increase during exam time in a high school. 

While some of our teachers had used Flipgrid before, it was still a new tool to many of our teachers. 

Teachers were given space in the cafeteria to move to a quieter place to do their recordings. 

Just like students when they first use Flipgrid, some teachers were a natural in front of the camera while some found it difficult to be pleased with their recordings.

The Flipgrid code was shared with students so that when they need a word of encouragement, they can find them from our Hoover High teachers. 

(Scroll down below to see some of our videos!)

I would love to hear your ideas for finishing the year strong and/or how you use Flipgrid at your school! Please leave a comment below.

10 ways to move from surviving to thriving

Too often, we get busy and in a rut. We put others ahead of ourselves, and it leads to living in survival mode and playing the blame game. 

"My schedule's so busy, I don't have time to exercise."

"Of course it's not my best work. I just don't have time to make it perfect."

"It is what it is."

How to know if you're in survival mode

1. Everything is a reaction. There is no thinking ahead or being proactive and preventive.

2. You're looking for the path of least resistance, not the path to excellence.

3. Procrastination is the norm. 

4. You don't have time and energy to deal with others. You prefer to be left alone. (You even push others away.)

5. Stress is at an all-time high, and you feel like you're going to snap at any minute.

6. You constantly compare yourself to others - your home, life, children, job, vacation, etc. 

How to go from Surviving to Thriving

First, you have to recognize that you are in survival mode. (This is not usually the hard part.) 

Next, ask yourself these questions:

• What is important?
• What is necessary?
• Where do I want to be in 1 week? What will I do today to get closer to my goal?
• Where do I want to be in 1 month? What will I do this week to get closer to my goal?
• Where do I want to be in 3 months? How do I get rid of barriers so that I can get to my goal?
• Where do I want to be in 1 year? Who do I need in my life to help me get there?

Finally, try these...

• Do things each day that you love and are passionate about... a dance class, yoga, volunteering, painting, singing, etc.
• Sit in the sun and soak up Vitamin D.
• Try a new recipe - healthy or decadent!
• Read a book or blog post by someone who inspires you
• Listen to a podcast by a thriver
• Call a friend and meet up for coffee, dessert, and connection
• Take a walk or exercise. 
• Do something kind for others

Each morning, set your intention to THRIVE that day. It may seem harder than just surviving, and it may push you out of your comfort zone. If you are ready for a change, it will be "hard thing" that you will appreciate. Just remember to take it day by day, and even hour by hour. If you need help, feel free to reach out to me via Voxer or Twitter.