WE TEACH AMERICA

WE TEACH AMERICA

BY:  Stephen Jones, PhD.

Every year thousands of new teachers launch their careers in urban and rural public schools.

Frequently they are hired to fill in positions for teachers who are retiring or leaving to work in another school district.  The new teacher is challenged to teach in their assigned school to fulfill the requirements of a grant/scholarship that they received while in college.  The challenge to teach in urban and rural public schools is not easy.  New teachers must work very hard to make the adjustment.  They need strategies that will help them to make a smooth transition from college to work. There are many resources that are in place to help the new teacher to make an effective transition.  The new teacher will benefit from making time to get the support that they need early in their career.

The preparation for a teacher to effectively teach in their school starts while the teacher is in college. Most student teachers have an obligation to teach in a school while they are in college.  These are often called internships where the potential teacher works with a seasoned teacher.  This is a great way to get acclimated to the challenging work in an urban and rural school district.  Teachers need to understand how student learning styles, emotions and intellect can influence their reaction and effectiveness in the classroom. The internship is a great time to observe without the pressures of a full time job.  It is also one of the better ways for a student to learn which grade level peeks their interest in teaching.

There are supports available to ensure that new teachers have successful experiences in low-income communities. Many of the school districts require teachers to participate in continuing education courses.  The purpose of each course is to acquaint the new teachers with a variety of ways that they can improve their classroom instruction.  The course topics can vary according to the school districts priority. Some teachers also earn credit by participating in college level courses and workshops.

Taking a course at a local college campus is a great way to ensure that teachers have support.  Colleges realize that some school districts have limited resources to provide sufficient instruction.  Some teachers are enrolling in online courses.  The number of online courses is expanding because they are convenient.  A teacher can complete class assignments at anytime of the day when they are enrolled in an online course.  They can maintain contact with the instructor by way of an e-mail.  Some teachers are able to interact with the instructors at the same time that they are listening to online instruction.  This is becoming a standard method of instruction in many colleges.

There are also conferences that offer workshops for teachers.  The conferences that are offered for teachers bring together some of the best presenters from around the world.  The presenters often demonstrate new innovative instruction methods that may be used in different regions around the United States.  A new teacher who attends the workshops will get ideas about how to create interactive instruction in their classroom.  The ideas that a new teacher receives at one of these conferences can encourage the use of new teaching techniques.

School districts can provide a mentor to support a new teacher.  The mentor is a seasoned teacher who offers their guidance to the new teacher throughout their first year.  This is the period when a new teacher is learning the most.  A mentor can help to eliminate the frustration that comes with teaching classes that may be large.  Teachers do not always realize how much different the official management of a class will be.  The teacher can discuss teaching methods that work especially since their mentor is from their own department.  The mentor can also exchange information about changing instruction methods.  The mentor can also help the teacher to navigate the meetings where important issues related to their school are discussed.

New teachers can choose to attend a summer institute that combines knowledge from college faculty and corporations.  Often government agencies like the National Science Foundation will provide funding so that the instructors, corporations and teachers who are attending the institute can collaborate.  For example, during an institute a group of chemistry teachers should work on experiments with corporate researchers and college faculty to develop projects for individual teachers.  The teachers can use the institute as an opportunity to easily learn how to implement these at their school.  They can uncover how much time it takes to complete each project.

Teacher Resources

There are many education websites established with resources that help new teachers.  The United States Department of Education at www.ed.gov offers a lot of useful information and links that a new teacher can use.  Also there is the American Federation of Teachers at www.aft.org which provides research and information about federal policies that affect teachers. Some of these teacher support systems come in the form of social networks.  For example, in Linkedin.com there are groups for teachers who want to exchange ideas.  These teachers can come from anywhere in the world. The can ask each other questions and offer their advice within seconds. In addition to social networks a teacher can create their own blog at www.eblogger.com. New teachers can read the blog to gaining insights from an experienced teacher. In the same way that comments are made on other social networks a blog can be a great resource for a new teacher to chronicle their experiences as a first year teacher.

Enthusiastic teachers who are prepared to instruct K12 students in urban and rural public schools are essential to our nation’s competitive position around the globe.  American educators have been known as innovators and our teachers need to be trained to give their best to all students.  School districts should continue to invest in professional development instruction for recently graduated teachers.  It is essential to their success.  New teachers can benefit from a stable and supportive school administration that advocates for ongoing education of every teacher.