Tens of thousands of people enter the teaching profession every year. That’s a lot of people who are banking not just on their preparation programs (whether six weeks or several years), but on the support of the people around them.
On Wed., August 20 at 8 p.m. ET, I’m going to be hosting the next Education Week Teacher Twitter chat, focused on how new teachers can find help from experienced teachers, administrators, and schools. You can join the chat (or just follow it) using the hashtag #ewedchat.
New teachers are a big focus area for districts, because attrition rates nationally remain high and research suggests that teacher turnover hurts student achievement.
Many experienced educators can offer advice for helping new teachers; there is no shortage of sage wisdom. As Robert Kolar writes in a July op-ed for EdWeek Teacher:
Don’t discount what you bring to the classroom. You have studied long hours in both your degree and teaching-certification programs, trained diligently through field work and student teaching, and independently labored to satisfy your need for personal and professional development.
You can practically hear “Eye of the Tiger” playing.
So what most commonly causes new teachers to stumble? What source offers the best help? What keeps new teachers in a profession with a notorious retention rate, and what drives them out? Studies and already existing anecdotal evidence offer insight, but come to the chat Wednesday night and offer up your own experiences.