New High School Teacher Support Tips
Unite with New Teachers and Develop a Relationship with Your Mentor
Mar 1, 2008
Here are some suggestions for new high school teachers to gain support in the workplace.
If you are a new high school teacher, one who has been working for three years or less, then it is likely you feel isolated at times. You have questions, concerns and challenges that are sometimes difficult to handle on your own. High schools are generally large and segregated by discipline, so you may not know many teachers outside of your subject area even if you’ve been teaching there for a while.
Unite with Other New Teachers for Support
Getting to know new teachers outside of your discipline will benefit you. First, it will broaden your scope and understanding of high school and the challenges your students face. Second, you will discover that you share many of the same concerns and questions with other new teachers. Finally, you can coordinate thematic lessons with teachers in other disciplines.
Provide Networking for New Teachers
You may find that developing personal relationships with other new teachers helps alleviate stress because you will have someone to turn to when the going gets rough. Some high schools offer terrific support networking for new teachers, but they don’t always provide opportunities for new teachers to mingle with each other. Here are some suggestions to develop rapport with other newbies:
- Post a notice in the teacher’s lounge announcing a new teacher meeting after school one day.
- Write down an agenda and ask other teachers to prepare questions for the informal meeting. Taking the initiate can yield rewarding results.
- Ask an administrator to be present at some point to answer questions relating to administrative paperwork, communicating with parents, and preparing for your school’s open house.
Develop a Working Relationship with Your Mentor
You will likely be assigned to a veteran teacher who is officially your mentor. This is a responsibility for which that teacher may have volunteered, but this is not always the case. During the first few weeks, assess the relationship with your mentor and try to gauge his/her parameters. How much time are they willing to spend with you? Be respectful of their limitations and make the most of your discussions. When planning to meet with your mentor, be sure to:
- Give your questions/ concerns to your mentor in advance of your meetings so he/she can prepare responses.
- Offer to take your mentor to lunch/ dinner/ coffee to show your appreciation for them and provide a distraction-free environment for discussion.
- Don’t abuse your mentor's time or give elaborate details of the challenges you face. You will benefit most from your mentor if you adopt the role of conscientious listener.
- If you feel that after some time you are not connecting with your mentor or that your he/she does not have sufficient time to work with you, seek out another informal mentor on your own. This person should share at least one of your planning periods each day and can serve as your lifeline in times of distress.
Connect with Other Veteran Teachers
If your mentor is not always available, seek out the advice of other veteran teachers. Varying perspectives can help you remain open-minded.
When preparing to talk to veteran teachers, write down (or preferably type) all the questions you have throughout the day. Review those questions and organize them for later discussion. Perhaps you want to discuss specific topics with different teachers. Here are some possible categories:
- Administrative
- Paperwork
- Content
- Classroom Organization
- Classroom Management
- Challenging Student Situations or I.E.P.s (individual Education Plans)
- Parent Contact
With all this being said, you don’t want to get too personal with your colleagues, especially not as a new teacher. Try to maintain friendly relationships with everyone and focus on the positive in your shared experiences whenever possible.
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