First Days.....
by Paul Bailey8/22/2016
Second year of teaching,
first day at a new district….I was organizing my desk when the science teacher
at the end of the hallway came in to introduce himself. He told me that if I
needed assistance with anything to stop by his classroom.
A few days after being
hired for a math position…. I received a phone call from the math department
chair. The chairperson wanted to inform me that he was glad I was going to be
part of their team and that he was excited for me to share my experience with
using technology to teach math.
1st official
day of my contract….While setting up my classroom, the veteran science teacher
brought a small chalkboard to me. The front had my name painted on it and the
back had a personalized quote, “Have fun and no day will be a bad one. Respect
the kids and they will reciprocate” You can see he was proud of using a math
term. That board has been in my classroom/office every day since.
1 week before the first
day of school….I arrived at the building principal’s house for a staff
barbecue. The principal answered the door with a big smile and told me that he
was glad I made it. He escorted me to the food and introduced me to teachers
that we passed along the way.
These four instances have
stood out to me and have stuck with me since I began my teaching career. The
individuals went out of their way to make the ‘new teacher’ feel welcomed and
supported before the first student stepped into my classroom. The summer after
my second year of teaching I reflected upon the science teacher stopping by my room
to offer assistance. I realized the impact that moment had for easing the
apprehension I had for the first day with students. Each year after, I have
made it a point to introduce myself to the new teachers and offer any
assistance that they may need.
One year a first year
science teacher collaborated with the STEM teacher and me. Through these
collaborations she expressed her struggles with student behaviors and learning
for a particular class. It so happened that class period was my planning
period, so I offered to co-teach with her for a few weeks. The class would be
balancing chemical equations which aligned well with balancing algebraic
equations that I taught those students two years earlier. After that time the
teacher continued to collaborate and have discussions with me. More importantly
she decided to return to our district the following year.
I made it through my
first five years in education through the friendships formed with my colleagues
and I made it through my next five years of teaching through the connections I
followed and formed through my professional learning network. It is critical
that the veteran teachers in our schools mentor and guide the teachers that are
new to the profession. Every teacher in the building has an impact on the
retention of teachers in the building/district. Each year new teachers learn
new strategies to improve their teaching practices and help students succeed.
Through teacher retention, schools can foster a sense of community that greatly
impacts the culture of that building therefore leading to the success of all
students in the school.
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