by Erin Steeley

Created on: November 19, 2010

When I worked as a deaf education teacher, I had a student teacher come to me and asked if I could help help her with resources and any questions she might have. Being my energetic and exuberant self, I started to pile her arms with a load of files and books while talking ninety miles an hour. The co-educator in my room came over and said, "Erin." I paused and looked up, "What?" She looked at me with a serious face and stated," You are scaring the poor girl." I then looked up at the student and saw that her eyes had become huge and that she was overwhelmed with everything that I was throwing at her. I stopped and said to her with a sheepish expression on my face, "I am so sorry. How about you tell me what you need and I'll help you the best I can." She smiled, her eyes went back to their normal size and I was able to help her on several occasions.

This story shows the first rule about helping someone new to the teaching field: do not scare the person to death by helping him or her too much. It is best if you let the person tell you what is needed and come to you if he or she has a question. This doesn't mean you can't point out an excellent resource or suggest something, you just don't want to overwhelm them. It is also not wise to be forceful in making suggestions or in showing the new teacher how to do something. Keep in mind that there are a plethora of different ways to handle a lesson plan, deal with a tough student or in teaching a lesson. Simply show the person how you do it and let the new teacher decide if that tactic will work best for him or her.

A big don't when offering teacher support is to use it as an opportunity to spread gossip or to tell a really good story that you are not supposed to be telling. For example, if the new teacher has a question about dealing with a difficult student or a staff member, be careful how you approach it. Your first consideration is confidentiality and your second one should be the example that you are presenting to that teacher. It is perfectly acceptable to use a past situation as an illustration of the appropriate way to handle something. The key here is not to use a name, any personal information or the gender of the child. If it has to do with another staff member, try to offer a positive solution to the problem. If the situation is currently happening, you may suggest that the new teacher talk with the principal about the problem. Keep gossip out of the equation. You want to present a professional example for the teacher to follow.

 You want to point the teacher in the direction of other staff members who can help him or her out in a variety of situations that are not often taken advantage of. This can include the school cooks, custodians, librarian and the secretary. The teacher should know the getting to know these people and making them do the hard work that they do can make teaching easier and put the new teacher in contact with resources that can be very beneficial to the classroom.

By presenting a positive and professional example of supporting a new teacher, you will get that person off on the right foot in his or her career. You can also do a lot more for this individual by listening more than talking along with letting him or her tell you what is needed.

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