Facing First-Year Challenges

Little support and even less classroom experience combined to make Deirdra Grode's first year teaching chaotic and almost her last. It didn't have to be that way. Grode says training on how to organize the classroom and learning, better understanding of differentiating instruction, and a coach to guide her practice would have made her first year much smoother.

In this month's "In the Classroom with Deirdra Grode" column, Grode shares her first-year frustrations and why schools need to meaningfully consider some basic new teacher supports, like DI, classroom management, and mentoring, if they want to build stability and continuity among staff—and ultimately—student learning.

What essential support did you have, or wish you had, in your first year?

Deirdra Grode was the 2008 ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award winner. In August, she assumed the position of codirector/principal K-8 at the Hoboken Charter School in Hoboken, N.J. She previously taught 7th and 8th grade social studies and language arts teacher at the school. Her monthly column appears in the Education Update newsletter.

Comments

[stephanie]

I am still in school working on my Bachelors degree and my biggest fear is my first year of teaching. All the education in the world cannot prepare you for real life experience.

[Bonnie]

I'm currently working as a paraprofessional in an elementary school. I'm also working towards my Bachelor's Degree (EC-6). I'm nervous about my first year, which will be hopefully next year. I feel like in some ways I have "real life experience". However, there are so many decisions that teachers have to make that I currently don't have to as an aide. I hope I'll make the right ones.

[Jennifer]

As a high school math teacher I wish I would have had some of the curriculum structures that new teachers have today (pacing guides, common assessments, etc). I know it can be daunting for a new teacher, but I was just handed a textbook and told to go for it...then I was told that I shouldn't use the textbook because it wasn't very good. Teachers in our school now have new texts, tons of other great resources, well thought out pacing guided, common final exams, etc.

For the last two years it has been my full-time job to mentor and coach the 15-20 new teachers in our building. What is the most frustrating to me is that it seems like those who struggle the most aren't taking advantage of all the help and resources that are being offered to them. They are also the ones who are the least likely to seek out help from myself or veteran teachers in their department. New teachers need to realize that they don't have to go it alone anymore.

[LandonH]

This is a common issue in education. I think the teachers come in prepared how to teach their subject, but not how to deal with students. I have been involved with mentoring in schools. I have had several student teachers and one of them was hired in my department. I was able to work with this teacher as a student teacher and continued to be her mentor for her first two years. We had to persuade the administration to let me mentor her for the second year. I think administration feels that the teacher went through four to five years of school they should be able to handle a classroom. This is a perception that needs to change. I have seen ten teachers leave in my district in the last two years. Everyone of the teachers was a first year teacher. I talked with them to see why they were leaving. They told me they felt they had no support and they were overwhelmed. I do not know how to change this, but I do know administration has to give support. As teachers, we have to be able to go to administration and tell them we need help. The attitude of the administration has to see this as a strength not a weakness. If teachers ask for help--help should be given. We are all teachers and our teaching should not end with just the students.

[Ruth Manna]

I'm an online mentor teacher on www.scholastic.com. I answer questions from beginning teachers with specific, targeted responses.
Recently I spoke at a college with a group of jr. and sr. ed majors. I was surprised that several topics I raised, parent conferences, paraprofessionals, job interviews, and preparing classrooms, were unfamiliar to these students.
Yes, new teachers do need mentors who will support them and answer questions. They also need to be better prepared by their professors for the day-to-day realities of the teaching profession.

[Christine Smith]

I finished my first year of teaching last year. It is so true that the first year of teaching is very hard. You think you come out of college knowing what you need to know to be a good teacher. In reality, you don't know anything! The first year of teaching is the year that will help you decide what you will or won't do in the future. New teachers need to realize that it is ok to make mistakes. It is also a wonderful idea to ask your fellow teachers for help! Do not be shy, ask!

[C. Owens]

I think as first year teachers we feel if we ask for help we will apperar incompetent. Teacher should take the same advice they give their students it "If you need help don't be afraid to ask."

[Jaclyn]

I had a less than fortunate experience during my first year teaching just 2 years ago. I was assigned to a mentor who had been teaching for several years and was fantastic when communicating with me. She offered her lunch, time during our recess duty, and during her planning period to meet and discuss any obstacles I was trying to overcome. This was not the less than fortunate part, in fact I was so grateful. It came to me when I had realized I had zero support from my principal and other administration.

Within the first month of being in this elementary school, I had heard every horror story from almost every teacher. Negativity was all that surrounded me, and I figured I would listen, but not participate in the gossip. After all, the majority of my day was spent in my classroom with my students, not congregating with my colleagues.

I will not go into detail on how dreadful my first year was, especially because I had a personal conflict, but all I knew was that when it came the end of the school, I was brainstorming other fields of interest that I could go back to school for. I did not want to be belittled by the administration once again, when they should have been offering me support and words of encouragement. Is that not what all teachers need, despite the amount of years teaching, and more importantly to a novice teacher?

Needless to say, I resigned from the position. I did not want to become tenured in a district where I would cringe each morning while entering the building. I applied to numerous elementary positions, and was hired as a one on one aide for the following school year in an inner city district. Not what I had hoped for, but accepted the position because it would offer me more experience within a school, and I had been introduced to some of the staff who referred to the colleagues as their "family". I couldn't believe these types of relationships actually existed!

Currently, I am enrolled in a master's program where with just my first course, am learning so much within the profession. The learning resources that we read and share ideas on are a large reason why I have continued to remain in this field. I have read about many stressful situations from teachers around the nation, and always think, if they can do it, I can do it! I have also interacted with many professionals that are either currently teaching or trying to get back into the classroom, like myself. My question is, how can I find a district that offers at minimum, basic teacher support? I have many friends and parents of friends who are teachers, and hear similar stories about issues within their school, or district that are "not right" so to speak. I want to be given an opportunity to make a difference in children's lives as well as their community.

Congratulations to Deirdra on the 2008 ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award! That must have given her so much more inspiration than she already had!

[Tricia]

As many of the previous posts have stated as a first year teacher my experience was less than wonderful. I work in a non-profit preschool program where my directors office is 30 miles from my classroom. I was hired for the job without even interviewing for the position, which should have been a red flag. When I signed my contract I was told I would be in my classroom with a couple aides that also were new and here is two days of training. Good Luck.
My director only came into my classroom once throughout the school year and that was when the state came to monitor us for 30 minutes.
I will say that the teacher who also was thirty miles away in another classroom for the same program had taught for 7 years and was very helpful which was the little support I had and the only encouragement.

Throughout the school year there was a veteran provider for special education services that came in and out of the classroom the only things she ever had to say about what we were doing was negative, I got to the point where I avoided the office or sharing any of my ideas to anyone and hoped no one would come around so I didn't have to be put down.

At this particular center there had been 9 teachers in 5 years I later found out, for the students I decided to stay for another year so there would be some stability, needless to say this year is worse than the last and I have often thought about just resigning. At this time I am doing it for the kids whom I care deeply about and only them and will certainly be looking for a new job with more support offered next year!