Improving First Year /teacher Support Essay -- essays research papers

She has been teaching for three years. Her students really like her. Shes dedicated. Shes energetic. Shes creative. Shes quitting (Michigan Education Association, 2000). This unexpended a school district asking a very simple question why? Novice teachers enter the c atomic number 18er full of questions. What should I do the firstly day? What curriculum do I teach? How should I arrange the classroom? Who are my students? How will I manage my classroom? What resources are available to me? What does the principal expect? Too many times these questions go unanswered. New teachers are handed their keys, shown to their rooms, and left to fend for themselves. The lack of support for first year teachers is a national problem. Addressing the learning needs of new teachers can improve both the rate of teacher retention and quality of the teaching avocation (Ballinger, 2000). In a country where there are more people leaving the profession than entering it, the questions of new teacher train ing and support is a very important one. Typically, principals hire the best qualified teachers from an applicant pool. These new teachers traditionally receive a brief orientation and a warm pleasant at the first faculty meeting. But from then on, first-year teachers are usually left on their own and offered very little assistance. No takings what their backgrounds or capabilities, they are given the same responsibilities as 20-year veterans (Jambor, 1997) Many school districts nationwide face the challenge...