by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: December 07, 2009   Last Updated: December 08, 2009

It is vital that an effective program is devised to keep new teachers. Disillusioned, many new teachers who started with an idealistic approach to their career, end up leaving teaching and going into more profitable professions as an alternative. It is vital that schools give support to new teachers to help them to stay sufficiently encouraged to develop that career instead of taking a detour. With industry offering more competitive rates of pay in many circumstances, reinstatement of the value of a teaching career should begin on day one. Effective support programs take into account the many aspects of teaching and are based upon the following criteria:

*Orientation.

*Teaching plans.

*Teaching support

*Mentoring services.

*Achievement targeting.

*Assessment.

*Encouragement and guidance.

Orientation.

The new teacher will have minimal formal classroom teaching experience. During their training they will come into touch with the teaching environment, although not in their present school. Because of the diversity of school procedures, population, interaction with other teachers and known objectives of the school, this makes them ideal parts of any orientation plan, forming part of the teacher support program. Orientation should include introduction of teachers to other staff and giving the teacher background information about the children they are to teach. This helps the new teacher to get a feel for the school, and to be able to plan lessons to suit the kind of students or to be aware of problems they may encounter before they go into the classroom.

A teacher who is informed of any problem areas which may be encountered will also be able to address these and to avoid pitfalls already known to the school. This also gives a new teacher a chance to discuss any element of teaching they feel may prove difficult and be put in touch with a mentor at the earliest convenience.

The orientation also needs to include specifics on curriculum to be covered and school ideology and practice. Finding their way around the way the school operates can be difficult for a teacher in a new environment, and making sure that their questions are addressed about classroom locations, supplies and facilities helps to make them feel more at home.

Teaching plans.

Of course, teachers have to work to a set curriculum, and draw up teaching plans to cover this curriculum. A new teacher should be encouraged to use their skills to produce teaching plans with targets, so that measurement

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