What your local association can do to help new teachers:

*  Daily routines.  At the building or local level, hold help sessions for new teachers that will help them deal with the day-to-day routines that are new to them: completing report cards, holding parent conferences, getting materials they need, using the school’s computer system, etc.

*  NON-CLASSROOM-RELATED DUTIES.  Work with the administration to have new teachers excused from doing duties not directly related to classroom teaching, e.g.: cafeteria & bus duty, serving on committees, sports team coach, club advisor, etc.  (This would last for approximately the first 2-3 years a new teacher is with the district.)

*  AWARENESS ABOUT BEST.  At staff, department, local association meetings, or other venue that fits, build the awareness of more experienced teachers about the portfolio assessment and process that beginning teachers face.  Emphasize the types of tasks the portfolio includes, the amount of work it is to complete, and specific, ‘little’ things that teachers can do (even on an infrequent basis) that will help the teacher working on the portfolio (see “It’s the Little Things that Count!”)

*  MENTOR TRAINING.  Work with district administration to hold in-district mentor training and update training that is content-specific to recruit and retain mentors.

*  RECRUIT OTHER SUPPORTERS.  Recruit teachers who have recently completed portfolios to become mentors and/or BEST Advocates to support beginning teachers.  Recruit staff who are seminar leaders and/or portfolio scorers to provide support sessions during the school year for new teachers.

*  PLANNING & MANAGING TIME.   Hold focused support sessions for beginning teachers early in the year, and on an on-going basis, on planning and managing time as a teacher.  Emphasize the need to plan taking into consideration all the aspects and tasks related to teaching.  Have beginning teachers work with their mentors during these sessions on planning.  If possible, have your local association create ‘planning calendars’ and distribute them as gifts to new teachers at these sessions.

*  As a local association, develop strategies for providing support for those new teachers for whom the mentoring system isn’t working effectively.  Create a ‘pool’ of experienced teachers who volunteer to do such things as: (1) be contacts for specific kinds of information or support; (2) serve as an unofficial mentor for general support in helping the new teacher become accustomed to the building, grade level, department, etc.; (3) work as a group to ‘check in with’ new teachers on a regular basis to see if they need help.

*  As a local association, develop ways that your members can do ‘little things’ that help relieve the stress of being a new teacher.  (see “It’s the Little Things that Count!”)

From the Connecticut Education Association:  www.cea.org