by Jeffrey Ober

Created on: November 23, 2009

One of the best places to get advice is from people who are experienced. In the case of a new teacher looking for help, they will nearly always want to hear from other teachers who have already had the experiences they are seeing for the first time. When you are that experienced teacher, no matter your level of experience, there are a few things that you can do that can be helpful to that new teacher.

Don't act as if the new teacher is unskilled or foolish for asking for help or for asking the question. When you hear a question where the answer is obvious to you, just take the time to help the new teacher and provide your knowledge. Many times the answer is only obvious when seen from a certain point of view - a point of view that new teacher may not have considered.

Provide tips and help when asked or when needed. If you, as an experienced teacher, see a situation developing between a new teacher and students that you can help solve, go ahead and volunteer your advice. It can be as simple as, "When I had students that did that, one thing I did that helped was..." Sometimes a new teacher just doesn't know when to ask for advice or who to ask, so if you see a way to help, feel free to assist.

Avoid giving instruction as if you are the ultimate authority. Unless you are dealing with a specific rule for your school, avoid the temptation to tell the new teacher, "This is the way we do things here." Part of teaching is exploration and discovery. Different personalities will have different ways to solve problems that are just as valid as your way. When you do provide advice, try to give your solution as one possible way to solve the problem, not the only way.

Publicly support the new teacher. If you see them doing something that's against policy, don't walk into the room in front of the students and embarrass the teacher. Instead, wait until you have a moment alone with them, or when you are in a teacher-only area. Then explain what you observed and explain the school policy. This will help them keep and establish their authority with their students, which is critical to the learning process.

Many people enter the teaching profession because they honestly enjoy seeing other people learn. Don't forget that as a teacher, you can help other teachers learn, not just students. Just be sure to do it in a way that helps to build up the other teachers and not by making them feel foolish.

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