|
Effective Teaching...
by Harry and Rosemary Wong
|
|
To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu
------------------------------------------------------------------
This article was printed from Teachers.Net Gazette,
located at http://teachers.net.
------------------------------------------------------------------
|
May
2003
Applying for
a Teaching Job in a Tight Market, Part 1
You're graduating from college and you want a teaching job. Yet, you've heard
all this talk about tight budgets and teachers being given pink slips.
But, thanks to the Internet, you can actually find jobs, complete applications
online, and even find out about the district that will be interviewing you.
It is essential that you differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack.
The marketplace has become stiff again and you need to put your best foot
forward. You can do this by impressing the interviewer that you are knowledgeable
about the district. Write ahead or call personally and obtain literature
about the school district. Go on the Internet as many school districts have
their own web site. Go to a search engine, such as Google or Yahoo, and you
may find hundreds of articles about the district. In fact, if you go in with
some information that the interviewer may not know, that will enhance your chance
for employment. People like to be noticed, just as you like to be noticed.
Researching a school district is essential. It's best not to walk into an
interview not knowing a thing about the prospective school district. For one,
how will you even know if you want to teach in a particular district if you
are not knowledgeable about the district? It's like taking a trip and not knowing
a thing about where you are going. Always walk into your interview having
done your research, because the next person who has done so will have an advantage
over you, if you are unprepared.
Before stepping into an interview, you should be able to answer the following
questions:
- What are the demographics of the school population?
- What is the district's mission?
- How many employees does the district have?
- How do the district's test scores compare with the state average?
- Does the district have a new teacher induction program?
- Does the district have a curriculum guide?
When you go in for an interview, the obvious item to have with you is your
portfolio. Perhaps you've seen people with these rather large, thin folders
that have a handle at the top. Artists, architects, designers, and graphic artists
carry them to show samples of their work when they go to see a prospective client.
This is their portfolio. The district where you are going for your interview
is your prospective client and they will want to see samples of your work and
even read letters from your past administrators, parents, and students. Bring
your portfolio---organize it, tab it, and be prepared to turn to a few salient
items.
Now for the insider tip! This is something we've learned from new teachers.
Several have told us that they walk in for an interview with a copy of The
First Days of School. These teachers told us that they didn't wave the
book around; it just sat on top of their portfolio. Since over two million copies
have been sold, most all administrators know this book. If they find out you
are knowledgeable of its contents, you will have enhanced your employment opportunity.
If you are asked to demonstrate your knowledge of The First Days of
School, produce a first day of school script. (June 2002 http://teachers.net/wong/JUN00/
and March 2003 http://teachers.net/wong/MAR03/)
If you really want to impress the interviewer with your knowledge of effective
teaching, produce an Action Plan similar to the one Sarah Jones had on her first
day of school. (September 2001 http://teachers.net/wong/SEP01/)
Two Questions to Ask
Because they affect your success as a teacher, there are two questions you
must ask during the interview.
- Does the district have a new teacher induction program?
- Does the district have a curriculum guide that is aligned to state standards?
Induction Program: It is imperative that you ask if the district has
an induction program. First, a district with an induction program demonstrates
that they care enough about you that they will train and support you with the
intention of retaining you. That concept is inherent in the title of the book,
New Teacher Induction: How To Train, Support, and Retain New Teachers.
(http://teachers.net/wong/FEB03/spotlight.html)
A district that simply gives you a teaching assignment and sends you forth
to teach is a district with the attitude that you are expendable and another
teacher can be found to replace you. Many of you have invested tens of thousands
of dollars, if not over one hundred thousand dollars, in your education and
you want to use that investment to make a difference in the lives of your students.
You can be as successful as the many teachers we have described in our monthly
Teachers.Net Gazette columns. However, do not be so naïve as to think that you
can go it alone without an induction program.
Second, here are some eye-opening statistics. The following districts devote
three or more years to an induction program. In the 2000-2001 school year
Lafourche Parish Schools, Louisiana
Lost 1 teacher out of 46 hired
Islip Public Schools, New York
Lost 3 teachers out of 68 hired
Leyden High School District, Illinois
Lost 4 teachers out of 90 hired
Geneva Community Schools, New York
Lost 5 teachers out of 67 hired
Newport-Mesa School District, California
Lost 5 teachers out of 148 hired
The truth is, up to 17 percent of the new teachers in urban schools will leave
the profession in their first year and 50 percent of all other teachers will
leave the profession within five years. There is absolutely no reason why any
of you should be one of these statistics, because there are districts with organized,
sustained professional development programs in place to train and support you
as you develop into an effective teacher. Teaching is a developmental process
and it takes five to seven years to grow into an effective teacher.
Since it takes years to develop into a successful teacher, the successful
teachers are the ones who can't sop up enough information at induction meetings.
Tragically, many districts do not provide organized opportunities for teachers
to learn and grow. So, these teachers leave the profession after a few years
believing that they do not need to learn. If you dare to teach, you must
never cease to learn.
Mentoring Is Not Induction
Beware if a district tells you they will only give you a mentor. A
mentor is important, but to succeed you need more than a mentor. You need a
comprehensive induction program.
At a recent convention of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
(ASCD), Susan Moore Johnson, director of the Project on the Next Generation
of Teachers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education said,
"Mentoring is all the rage. But the truth is that mentoring pairs seldom
are anything but haphazard. They are driven by the schedule. They are often
not pairs of people who really know the subjects that the individual is teaching.
All the teachers in Massachusetts were supposed to have mentors, and we would
say, 'Do you have a mentor?' 'Oh, yes I have a mentor.' 'Well, tell me about
the mentor.' 'Well, I have not seen the mentor since the first week of school.
My mentor teaches across town,' or 'My mentor teaches on the other side of
the building. I am science. She is special ed.' It is just story after story
of people who, within the context of a school and the schedule and the constraints
of space, never saw their mentors or got very little assistance, or felt like
their mentors taught in ways that were totally alien to them."
Jon Saphier, in his book Beyond Mentoring (note the word
"beyond") says this about mentoring:
- For too many teachers, the mentoring pairing process results in a "blind
date." The teachers do not know each other and neither partner has input
into the pairing.
- Mentors alone cannot hope to provide the range of input, feedback, and support
beginning teachers need.
- The ad hoc, informal nature of traditional mentoring scenarios relies
heavily on the initiative, instincts, and good will of the veteran teacher
and the protégé.
- A comprehensive induction program involves more than just mentors. We need
to go beyond mentoring.
- A well-designed induction program is essentially excellent staff development.
- Effective induction programs inherently work to transform the culture of
a school.
Leslie Huling, who has written extensively on induction and mentoring says,
Simply assigning a mentor teacher does little to remedy the situation
of teachers becoming discouraged and leaving the profession. Induction and
mentoring must go hand-in-hand. You cannot do one without the other.
But some educators continue talking about using mentors to retain teachers
as if this method has received the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval,"
yet no one has ever been able to produce "scientifically accurate"
data to substantiate its success.
Educators never talk about what happens to the new teacher after a year when
the mentor has outlived his or her usefulness; what happens if a school loses
50 percent of their teachers annually; and who is in charge of orchestrating
the entire mentoring process. In many schools the principal acts like a taxi
company dispatcher, dispatching a veteran teacher to buddy up with a neophyte
teacher. Since teacher development is a continuous process, what is needed is
a formalized, sustained process known as induction. Mentoring is not induction;
it is a component of induction.
Those of us who are knowledgeable about the induction process know that teachers
learn best not from mentors, but from watching others teach. Thus, many induction
programs have model classrooms. We also know new teachers learn much better
in networks and collegial sessions, where the viewpoints of veteran and neophyte
teachers are respected.
What Everyone Else Knows and Does
We are not going to attempt to understand why it has taken education so long
to recognize what other industries recognize almost from the start---training
matters. Formalized, sustained training matters. For instance, in the private
and non-profit sector, training is a part of every company's plan.
For instance, when Kyle Taylor graduated from California State University
at Northridge with a degree in finance and accounting, he considered and entertained
offers from such renowned companies as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young,
Deloitte & Touche, and Sobul, Primes & Schenkel. His final decision
was not based on pay, location, or position. He selected the company he felt
had the best training program. He knew that the training plan would prepare
him for his next job.
In education we do not provide nearly enough, if any, training, for our teachers.
And many new teachers do not realize---until it's too late---just how lacking
they are in basic teaching skills. As they begin their life's career, college
graduates in the business world look to the companies that offer them the best
training, for they know their future successes and rewards are contingent on
their initial training. Company executives also know they can retain well-trained
employees who will reward them. New teachers should expect no less!
Nicole Tripi will graduate from the University of New Orleans next year. She
has already asked us, her godparents, where she should go to teach. We know
where there are job openings. We know where the good salaries are---starting
at over $40,000 a year. We know where she can find supportive administrators.
We know where she can find affordable housing. We know where she can raise her
child in a good community.
Nonetheless, we know of a school district where the salary will be average.
Some students will be challenging. The heat and humidity along the bayous can
be unforgiving. But we can't think of a better way for her to receive her initial
training and get started correctly than to be trained by the four people who
run the Lafourche Parish induction program in Louisiana. Her future is dependent
on starting successfully, under the tutelage of caring and supportive people.
And because their attrition rate is less than 8 percent, she will succeed in
the Lafourche Parish Public Schools. In the 2000--2001 school year, they only
lost one teacher and all of their teachers passed the Louisiana State Teachers
Assessment test. What a wonderful way to begin a career!
Therefore, in your interview, ask if the district has a formalized induction
program. Ask how long the program runs. Most importantly, ask what is the attrition
rate of their new teachers.
Second Question to Ask
It's a tragedy. When a teacher leaves a school, that teacher takes
everything with him or her and leaves nothing behind. So, when the new teacher
comes aboard, that teacher has nothing to reference and has to start all over
again at square one. There is no file, no box, no notes, nothing. You would
think that all of the past teachers would have left copies of their lesson plans,
activities, and tests. That seldom happens.
Worse yet, the school district often times has a mismatched set of concepts
that are labeled curriculum guides. Beginning teachers usually have to ask for
these items as they have been boxed up and carted away with the departing teacher's
belongings.
It is not your position to develop the curriculum. That is the district's
responsibility. It is your charge to deliver the curriculum. Can you
imagine American Airlines telling their pilots that they can make up their own
flight plans?
The second question you need to ask is: Does your district have a curriculum
guide and
- is the curriculum guide aligned to state standards, and
- are there suggested activities and lesson plans for you to follow?
In next month's column, we'll talk about the importance of teaching in a school
with a well-defined curriculum guide.
Preparation, Preparation, Preparation
Employment times are tight. If you truly want to be a teacher, you must make
your potential employer realize your desire. The fact that you are reading this
Teachers.Net article puts you far ahead of many of today's candidates. You are
eager to learn, informed, and dedicated to self-improvement.
During your interview be a namedropper---mention Teachers.Net, The First
Days of School, even Harry Wong! Show what you're capable of producing
with your portfolio. Dress professionally. Project confidence. Sparkle with
passion. Speak positively of children and their potential.
Your thoroughness in the interview process will reward you with the noblest
of all careers. The teaching profession wants you and needs you. Welcome!
Harry & Rosemary Wong products: http://harrywong.com/product
This printable version is provided for the convenience of individuals.
