How to Support New, Early Career, and Veteran Teachers

The education industry is facing a national crisis. According to a Metlife Survey of American Teachers, only 44% of teachers are very satisfied with their current profession and nearly 50% of teachers leave the profession within five years. Education leaders everywhere are wondering how to retain teachers and make them feel happier and more secure. Consider these 6 areas for improving the experience for teachers and protecting your valuable human resources.

Teacher Mentoring Program

According to a 2019 50-State Comparison on teacher recruitment and retention, 31 states require induction and/or mentoring support for new teachers. Effective mentorship can make a difference for early teacher retention. The most impactful mentoring programs provide internal supports and foster a positive learning community. Ask these questions as you evaluate your new teacher mentoring program:

• Have you paired mentors and mentees based on the strengths and weaknesses of the pair and how they will work together?
• Have you created monthly activities for the pair that will foster learning and communication?
• Have you built time into the school day for the pair to meet to avoid overwhelming new teachers?
• Have you considered allowing mentors and mentees to observe each other and a time for them to have a post-observation dialogue?
• Have you scheduled time to meet with all mentees and mentors to allow all to benefit from the shared experience?
• Have you built in administrative checkpoints to ensure mentees have everything they need to be successful?
• Have you created an open community between mentors to share their experiences?
• Have you created an open community between mentees to share their experience?
• Have you built in some fun celebrations and activities to boost morale?
• Have you met with the groups both heterogeneously and homogeneously to make sure that you are meeting all needs and addressing concerns?
• Have you garnered feedback from all to continually improve the program?

Teachers Observing Other Teachers

Teacher experts reside on every campus. Every school has exemplar teachers who excel in content, classroom diversification, classroom management, student engagement, and so much more. Unfortunately, many teachers lack the opportunity to observe their peer experts because they are actively teaching. Consider building in time for teachers to observe other teachers. Ask these 3 questions:

• Could you acquire subs periodically to cover classes so teachers can observe each other?
• Would you have teachers observe inside or outside of their content?
• Would you have teachers observe their own students or other students?

One district created an incredible, immersive opportunity that allowed teachers to follow the student journey for a day. Individual teachers were given an anonymous student schedule to follow for an entire day. The students ranged from special education to general education to advanced placement.   Teachers were able to experience the impact of a student’s daily routine and truly understand strengths and weaknesses within classrooms, different teacher expectations, activities that were too repetitive or incredibly engaging, and areas that caused student anxiety. Teachers also observed master teachers and struggling teachers to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the school and reflect on their own practices. In the debrief, teacher names omitted, but quotes and experiences were shared to guide future professional learning opportunities.

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Build Community Through Teacher Teams

Many schools place teachers into teams to support and learn from each other. These instructional cohorts can provide a seamless instructional experience for students and provide stronger support of student learning and success. Consider these questions as you consider if teaming is right for your school:

• Would you create teams by grade level?
• Would you create teams by content?
• Would you create activities for the team to complete together?
• Would you consider having the teachers do observations of others?

Teacher teams allow you to build communities within your school and offer additional support and resources to your staff. Learning and working together allows educators to explore new territory and ensure ongoing growth for students and themselves.

Gather Valued Input

Teachers want to be heard and have a voice. Working with empowered teachers creates a better culture for both students and staff. Empowered teachers work more enthusiastically and creatively and are also more likely to be retained. Use these 6 ideas to include teachers in the dialog and decision-making process:

• Ask teachers about their professional development goals.
• Consider a monthly or weekly open forum.
• Encourage teachers to serve on committees.
• Pick items that others can decide on.
• Put a system in place to allow teachers to celebrate each other.
• Provide teachers with the tools they need.

>>> How to Empower Teachers Through Voice and Choice

Provide Frequent Recognition

Teachers balance a myriad of issues every day, often working to minimize class disruptions and discipline issues so they can focus on the whole child in front of them. Like all humans, teachers love to be recognized for their accomplishments, especially during these uncommon and demanding times. Here are some quick and inexpensive ways to make teachers feel appreciated:

• Leave little notes of acknowledgment and encouragement.
• Recognize an educator of the week or month.
• Send out celebratory emails or newsletters.
• Consider starting a “caught you doing good” system allowing teachers to nominate each other for recognition.
• Create a bulletin board of praise and display it in a prominent space.
• Ask local businesses to donate a little something to acknowledge teacher milestones.

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Open-Door Policies

Open-door policies help build trust among teachers and education leaders, but an open-door policy can make it difficult for administrators to complete daily tasks and attend to urgent matters. Consider these ideas as you prepare to make yourself more available to meet with teachers.  

• Establish a recurring open-door time for teachers to come talk to you about questions and concerns.
• Clear your schedule for a No Office Day.
• Use designated professional development time for an open forum.
• Host an “un-conference” for your staff and let them lead the way.
• Have a suggestion box/question box for teachers to anonymously express concerns.

Great teachers need great support, especially during a time of uncertainty, endless mandates, high stakes testing and rising professional expectations. Providing solid teacher support is key in improving student learning outcomes. Keep it simple with these three reminders: Hire Right, Train Them Up and Keep Them Happy!