There will be other priorities for other times of the year, but in terms of faculty and staff, one of the most important acts of school administration is to protect the new teachers long enough for them to think they can make it. We don’t need to let them alone then either, but the beginning of the school year is critical for teachers new to you.
There will be a point when they know they can (or, know they can’t) make it. If they are brand new to teaching, the beginning of the year may find them uncertain.
Even teachers that you have brought in who have experience may have a period of transition during which they begin to second guess their decision to come, or struggle to get their footing in a new place.
Remember the type of people who teach for you: they like to be right, they like to have it together, they don’t necessarily love struggling. (NOTE: These are broad generalities as experiences may vary, but as a rule, new is…new)
Often, I remind people going into administration in their first year that they will have some growing pains. That you aren’t as good on Day 12 of doing something as you are on Day 1800. The more you do something, the less you’re afraid of failing at it. At the beginning, your mind can do strange things to you, and things that one day will be routine can be overwhelming at the moment.
That’s the moment that we need to be there for our new teachers. Again, once you assess the situation, you may find a variance in the needs of your new teachers, but I bet you’ll discover they all need something to get off to a good start.
For some, it will be affirmations from administration. YOU know they don’t need to worry about keeping their job; THEY don’t know that yet. They may need day-to-day logistical support from a buddy teacher. Sometimes it’s the little things that get you. It might be the support of a mentor that keeps them going at the beginning, and then it could be the need to get a win, to enjoy some success that means the most.
Remember, whatever you do early on will be less expensive than what you might have to do later. The amount of time needed now to support your new teachers formatively will be much less than the time needed later to undo the damage that may have been more easily prevented.
So much of success in any endeavor is about confidence. Regardless of the pursuit, confidence typically follows understanding and that takes time. What you do early on with a new teacher can keep them going until they have enough time to get there on their own.
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