Tips for Helping Your School's New Teachers Succeed (and Stick Around)

By Alex Kajitani

Brenda was one of the most promising new teachers our school had ever seen – her student teaching with at-promise students got glowing reviews, she was eager to jump right into leadership roles, and her classroom was well-organized and ready days before veteran teachers had even set foot on campus. 

Weeks into her first teaching year, though, she pulled me aside to tell me she felt that the staff did not want to connect with her.  One colleague had even told her there was no point investing time into first-year teachers, since most of them left. “Once you show up for your second year, you’ll be treated like you belong here,” Brenda had been told.

We’ve all heard the dismal teacher turnover numbers, such as the National Education Association’s (NEA) calculation that 20% of teachers in urban schools leave each year, a large majority still just in their first three years in the profession.  And we know the consequences: beyond the cost of replacing each teacher who leaves (which is estimated anywhere from $15,000 to $40,000), there is also the toll on staff morale, student confidence, and test scores. 

As this new school year begins, it is imperative that we returning teachers of at-promise students look at our own personal responsibility in these statistics.  Let’s ask ourselves:  Am I doing all I can to help new teachers at my school succeed?  Or am I contributing to their departure by ignoring or belittling them? 

Imagine the positive affect could we have on our schools – and ultimately the success of our at-promise students -- if each of us made it a personal goal to help our schools’ new teachers feel welcome, invest in the job, and stay on board.

Here are a few easy ways to start:

1. Minimize Negative Talk.  I still remember the uncomfortable, embarrassed feeling I had when I was sitting in the teacher’s lounge my first year and a group of veteran teachers began to lambaste the district BTSA (New Teacher Induction) program. One by one, they fired off a round of cynical comments about the program’s uselessness.  I had actually been loving the program, felt I was learning a lot, and had wanted to share some of the insights from our latest BTSA guest speaker at the next staff meeting.  Guess whether I did after that teacher’s lounge experience.
   
   Let’s be honest, struggling schools have a lot of issues, and the longer we staff members are there the more familiar we are with those issues, and the more likely we are to complain about them.  But, try to refrain from badmouthing the administration, fellow teachers, programs, and students in front of new teachers.  This doesn’t mean being fake or keeping new teachers out of the loop, but give them a chance to be excited, bring a fresh energy to the table, and form their own opinions before we impose our weathered ones. 
   
   On the other hand, a little humor about the conditions in many a low-performing school can work wonders for a new teacher’s perspective.  Oh, the relief I felt my first semester when fellow teachers were joking about certain student behaviors I had assumed were happening only in my classroom!  In short, when it comes to the challenges of teaching at-promise students, levity works much better than negativity for helping new teachers thrive.
   
2. Celebrate Milestones and Successes.  Getting through the first week of school may not be a big deal to you now, but remember what an accomplishment it was your first year?  Take a few minutes to walk into your new teachers’ classrooms and notice what they are doing.  Acknowledge their seemingly small milestones – the first month, the first back-to-school night, the first parent conferences – and you not only help motivate them, but you open the door to asking them how things are going and if they need anything. 
   
   Call out new teachers’ triumphs – high first test scores, calm handling of a student scuffle – in staff meetings as well.  Consider making a ritual of celebrating one new teacher’s accomplishment at each department or PLC meeting.  You could even come up with a funny name for it: a “groovy newbie” award?
   
   There’s a larger reward in doing this as well.  If you praise new teachers publicly for their successes, you not only boost their morale but you set an example of teamwork and support that they will likely emulate, adding a positive vibe to your staff meetings for years to come.  By helping new teachers in encouraging ways through that tough first year, you are also helping your own experience as a staff member in the future.
   
3. Include Them In Decision-Making (But Don’t Force It).  A few years ago my math department received a $400 grant and we didn’t know what to spend it on.  After we hemmed and hawed for a while, a new teacher spoke up and described a teaching tool he had seen at a conference.  It sounded amazing, we looked into it, and ultimately ended up using the grant to purchase it.  I still remember the smile on the new teacher’s face when we listened to his idea.
   
   It’s easy to blow off a new teacher who brings up an issue or question we’ve heard a million times before, and it’s normal to struggle with taking seriously a colleague as old as your kids.  But, try to remember when you were in those new teacher shoes and how much it meant (or would have meant) when you were included as a peer.  Before you roll your eyes at the neophytes, open your ears:  they just may surprise you with a great idea or insight.
   
   On the flip side, don’t force new teachers into jobs they can’t handle.  We all know how tempting it is to throw first-year teachers to the wolves by sticking them with the worst volunteer or leadership duties.  But, putting them in charge of the notoriously rowdy first dance is not a way to boost their confidence or help them survive their first year.  Let them get involved at their own pace, in duties that play to their strengths, which benefits everyone.
   
4. Help Them Stay Healthy.  The first month of my first year of teaching, each night I scarfed down a drive-through burrito for dinner after leaving school at 8 p.m.  Then, a fellow teacher invited me to join him for an after-school surf on Thursdays (San Diego’s equivalent of the East Coast racquetball date).  I began looking forward to our surf session all week, felt so much better the day of and after it, and saw that I was actually able to leave school in the daylight and take care of myself now and then.
   
   I’ve seen dozens of new teachers work themselves into sickness from the pressure of that first year on the job.  Notice when your new teachers look unwell, mention headaches or stomachaches or have frequent doctor’s appointments. Try to encourage them to give themselves a break and make their health a priority.  Invite them on a weekend hike, offer them a guest pass to your gym, or bring them some fresh fruit from your backyard trees.  Show them that other teachers care about their health, and they can, too. 
   
   Sharing stories of how stressed out or sick you were your first year (I threw up before school those first few days and got three colds my second semester) can help them feel less alone.  Sharing how well you feel now can help them see that things do get better (not even a sniffle last year, and I still try to hit the waves once a week). 
   
   Again, there’s the personal picture and the big picture: by helping an individual teacher be healthier you also help your school.  Well teachers mean less sick days taken, and better teaching in general, which is what our at-promise students, and our faculty teams, need.

Brenda – that promising new teacher – is now a thriving veteran teacher of at-promise students.  She succeeded despite her first-year challenges with cynical and unsupportive colleagues.  But many new teachers do not; they leave feeling alienated and we all pay the price. 

Each one of us can make a difference this year by supporting the Brendas and all the new teachers at our school.  Remember when you were in their shoes and treat them as you wanted to be treated when you entered this greatest profession to help these students of greatest need.

Alex Kajitani, known around the country as “The Rappin’ Mathematician,” is the 2009 California Teacher of the Year (and a Top 4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year).  He has won numerous other teaching awards and speaks to groups nationwide.  His company, Math Raps, has also won the RAPSA “Making a Difference” Award.  Visit www.MathRaps.com to check out some of his rap songs!