Supporting New Teachers in the Classroom: Administrator-to-Teacher Tips
Every school year, administrators welcome new teachers to their district, striving to provide support to ensure a smooth transition into the district so the teachers can create a positive environment for students. With all the tasks that the new year brings, your partners at Education Advanced, Inc. have compiled some teacher tips to take one thing off your to-do list.
Provide curriculum and instructional materials.
New teachers are eager to see what they will be teaching so they can start planning. Consider having a mentor or another teacher on the team available when you share the materials to ensure that the new teacher’s questions and concerns can be addressed.
Send schedules.
At the top of every new teacher’s mind is: what time do I have to be where? A straightforward way to lower a new teacher’s nerves is to provide schedules as soon as possible.
Establish mentor contacts.
Mentor/mentee relationships can provide support for the new teacher in a low stress environment. With a mentor, new teachers do not need to contact an administrator for every question – which results in them asking all their questions. It also provides a contact in the content or grade level so the administrator does not need to be a content expert in each area. Further, it gives the new teacher another familiar face in the district.
Facilitate periodic/quarterly debrief sessions.
Providing time to discuss and debrief the day-to-day and special events with other new teachers and/or mentors is not only helpful for the new teachers but provides feedback on the campus processes for the administrator.
Balance information.
Balance and filter the amount of information – provide the essentials but be sure not to overload new teachers with too much (prioritize or schedule out when pertinent information is provided).
Schedule check-ins.
Mental health, pick-me-up check ins during traditionally busy times (start of school, prior to winter holidays, testing season, end of grading periods, close to spring break) can provide relief and important information to new teachers. Making time to answer questions and calm nerves goes a long way in supporting teachers and promoting retention.
Share templates.
Planning templates facilitate consistency and organization as well as help teachers stay on track with curriculum, grading, discipline, etc.
Consider peer observation.
Informal peer observation can be used to help new teachers to see how veteran teachers approach a concept, behavior, etc. if they are struggling. These observations can provide an example that new teachers can adapt to make their own.
A final thought, you may not be able to implement all the strategies by yourself – utilize the support system around you as well as your partners at Education Advanced, Inc. You are making a difference in the lives of children! From all of us to all of you, we wish you a great school year!