Wednesday, August 1, 2001

New teachers get tools for success

By CAROLYN CARY
ccary@TheCitizenNews.com

While students are enjoying their last days of summer vacation, approximately 200 new Fayette teachers will be attending classes to help prepare them for working and teaching in the county.

New teacher induction will be July 31-Aug. 6. All teachers who are new to the county, whether entering into their first year of teaching or their 25th, are required to attend the induction in order to become familiar with Fayette's procedures as well as what is expected of them professionally.

"It doesn't matter if someone has been teaching in another county for 25 years. Each system does things differently and this induction gives newcomers an opportunity to learn how we operate," said Terri Gaspierik, coordinator of staff development.

During the induction period, teachers are given information to enable them to be successful in the classroom. Not only does the induction cover the operational aspect of the school system, but it also gives new teachers an opportunity to learn additional teaching and classroom management methods and become familiar with specific grade level curriculum and the schools in which they will be teaching.

As part of the program, each teacher is paired with a mentor at his or her respective school. Initially, the mentors are responsible for showing their teachers around the school and how the facility operates when it comes to routine tasks such as ordering supplies, making copies and retrieving telephone messages. Mentors also are encouraged to take their assigned teachers on a tour of the school's attendance area so that newcomers can get a feel for where their students live and spend time away from the classroom.

"We want teachers to know as much about their prospective students as possible before school starts. Having this kind of information can help them better relate to the students," said Gaspierik.

This year's induction theme is "Take this job and love it." Gaspierik said the purpose of the program is not only to give new teachers insight into how the school system operates, but also to make them feel welcome.

"We want these teachers to feel glad that they came here. During these five days they are our guests and we want to impress upon them that they made a good choice," Gaspierik continued.

A committee works hard each year to ensure that the new teacher induction program meets the needs of teachers entering the county, she said. This year's program is more specific than in the past, offering teachers opportunities to learn more about teaching in a specific grade level or curriculum as opposed to instruction on generalized teaching methods.

"We take suggestions each year from people who go through the program. If the suggestion is valid, then we will incorporate it into next year's program. The induction changes from year to year based on the suggestions that are made," added Gaspierik.

The induction is open to new teachers as well as those who were hired halfway through the previous academic year. After the initial induction is concluded, school mentors are available every day to give assistance and advice in areas were they need help.

Additionally, each teacher is assigned a county mentor who visits his or classroom during the year and offers suggestions for improvement. The office of staff development also provides induction programs for second- and third-year teachers but it is not required that they attend.