Teachers: Morgan schools work hard to attract good teachers and hang onto them
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No Comments [ Add Comment ]By Deanne Winterton
Standard-Examiner correspondent
M
ORGAN -- As teachers continue to leave the profession or move to neighboring states for more pay, Morgan School District is introducing a program to retain new teachers.
"I think that if there was no induction program you would see more first-year teachers never returning to the field," said Heather Luff, an eighth-grade teacher at Morgan Middle School.
This reaction shows a change, administrators say.
"When many of the veteran teachers began their career, districts operated under a 'sink or swim' approach," said Superintendent Ron Wolff. "Today, things are much different in Morgan School District."
The district's induction program has been developed during the past three years. It ranges from a general introduction to the district to mentoring by fellow teachers and regular classroom visits by administrators.
New teachers stay in the program for three years.
Morgan is one of the top five districts in the state with the greatest number of new teachers, according to a teacher supply/demand study conducted by the Utah System of Higher Education.
Since 2002, the district has hired 10 or more new teachers each year. This school year, it hired 18 new teachers. And with many teachers planning to retire in the next couple of years, the district may see more openings than they have experienced in the last decade.
Mentoring
When teachers begin working for the district, they are assigned a mentor who provides them with individualized help. Mentors, often veteran teachers who know the ropes, are paid for their time.
"A good mentor becomes a friend, advocate and counselor," Wolff said. "The mentor is to take a proactive approach in addressing issues, problems and challenges being faced by the new staff member."
Luff said mentoring is her favorite part of the program.
"Honestly, I don't know what I would do without the mentoring program," she said. "(My mentor) answers any questions I might have and helps me through any crisis, real or imagined."
Ashley White, a first-year business teacher at Morgan High School, agreed.
"I love my mentor because she is very willing to help me with personal and professional goals," White said. "It's her job to let me bug her."
Classroom visits
Administrators also visit classrooms to evaluate and help new teachers. They look for the good and the bad.
Wolff said he spends at least an hour in about 65 percent of the district's classrooms each year.
"We tell them what we like and build them up," he said. "Some of the visits are focused on formal evaluations, but other visits are simply to provide support, encouragement and counsel."
It's an integral part of the program because what teachers learn in college often differs from what really happens in the classroom, he said.
The time administrators spend in the classroom is a relatively new phenomenon, said Wolff, who taught in three high schools in three states before becoming an administrator.
"During the nine years I taught, an administrator never set foot in my classroom to see what was happening," Wolff said. "The same is true for most teachers who started their careers several years ago."
Morgan Middle School Principal Tom McFarland said spending time in teachers' classrooms is the most fun part of the job.
"We don't want to be seen," he said. "We don't want them to even know we're there. We look for a warm, inviting classroom and that the teacher is marketing the subject."
Many new teachers also meet with their administrators, department heads or grade-level peers during the summer before their contract starts. They also start a week before other staff members to spend four full days learning about the district, expectations and programs.
Time is also spent regularly meeting as a group with building administrators to better understand that specific location and be able to discuss and share ideas, Wolff said.
The discussions are invaluable, teachers say.
"I can't imagine how else I would learn everything that needs to be learned when starting my first year of teaching," Luff said. "I go to the meetings and hear that many of the other new teachers are struggling with the same issues that I am."
New teachers also meet as a group with the superintendent every other month during their first year. At the end of the year, they meet one-on-one with the superintendent to discuss their feelings about their first year and talk about their future as educators.
One reaction
White said the program has helped her transition into becoming a professional and influenced her to stay in education.
"I very strongly feel that the induction program is needed, even for teachers that have taught before in other places," White said. "It is an excellent way to become accustomed to the way things are done in Morgan."
Preparing new teachers to conform to district and professional standards is exactly the goal of the program, Wolff said.
"We believe that a strong induction program is one of the major reasons our district is successful in retaining a large percentage of our recruits," Wolff said. "Although it is not uncommon for us to see new teachers leave after a couple of years in the district, very seldom do those folks leave the profession.
"We are beating the national trends by helping our new teachers experience success."
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