by Elaine Sihera

Created on: December 04, 2009   Last Updated: April 10, 2012

The primary purpose of any educational establishment is the overall achievement and success of its students. The key to achieving this objective is through its teachers. What the teacher does in the classroom is thus paramount to that objective and they require the best support to achieve that aim. Modern teachers are expected to help the most diverse student population meet the highest education standards, while serving all students equally well. A near-impossible task! Yet some teachers can make a huge difference to students' lives. Research in Texas, by Hanushek, Kain, and Rivkin (2001), found that the importance of having an effective teacher for 4 or 5 years, consecutively, "could essentially close the gap in math performance between students from low-income and high-income households".

Yet, despite their enthusiasm, the classroom can actually be a frightening place for new teachers, especially in their first week. It can be a time of anxiety, stress and fear, stemming from the fact that this is the only profession where a person's daily performance is played out in front of a group of youngsters who could decide his/her fate, especially if things do not go right. Teachers who are not in control in their classes soon find that they are not in control of their careers either!

New Staff Attrition

Not surprisingly, there is huge staff attrition within the teaching profession with current estimates showing as many as 50% of new teachers leaving within the first five years (Hare & Heap, 2001). A program of genuine teacher support is thus essential to stem the exodus. But where does one begin? Perhaps the cue should be taken from the teachers themselves who regard their five greatest challenges as: "classroom management, motivation of students, dealing with the individual differences among students, assessing student work, and relations with parents."

Clearly, all new teachers need ongoing and consistent support to gradually increase their awareness and expertise in dealing with such challenges and to eventually overcome them. Learning to teach is not something that can be grasped quickly, especially when dealing with unpredictable students. It is a special instructional and empathetic skill which has to be gradually learned over time. Any new teacher support program should be a professional development process over a significant, and sustained, period. Such programs can enhance teaching quality, improve recruitment and retention and ultimately decrease

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