Re: Professional Development and coping as a beginning teacher.

Dear Amy, 

                    Here at Project BEAM we have a list of quotes and mantras that we try to keep in mind when we are teaching (see process journal for a full list). I would just like to share a select few with you and hope that as you read them you really take on board the value and meaning behind each one.

“Believe it is possible to solve your problem. Tremendous things happen to the believer. So believe the answer will come. It will.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

“Good fortune shies away from gloom. Keep your spirits up. Good things will come to you and you will come to good things.” ~ Glorie Abelhas

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

As you are probably already aware Amy, teaching is a challenging profession, and like any other job you are bound to make numerous mistakes. All teachers make mistakes throughout their professional working life, however it is how we approach and deal with these mistakes that separate the great teachers from the mediocre. The most important thing to remember and keep in mind though, is that you have the opportunity to reflect on these mistakes and improve your own teaching practice and pedagogy in remarkable ways. It’s important that you believe in yourself and accept that making mistakes is normal, and think about how you can use your prior mistakes to change and benefit your teaching.

Professional Development is one such process that can assist you in improving your competency and skill base. According to Marginson (1993), professional development is the process of growth in competence and maturity through which teachers add range, depth and quality to their performance of their professional tasks. Professional learning for teachers in the 21st century must be based on three main principles. These include:

• Professional development content should focus on what students are to learn and how to address the different problems students may have in learning the material.

• Professional development should be based on analysis of the differences between actual student performance and goals and standards for student learning.

• Professional development should involve teachers in the identification of what they need to learn and in the development of the learning experiences in which they will be involved. (Ingvarson, 2002)

So what do these elements mean for you Amy, you may ask? Well, it is vital that you engage and communicate with other staff members, school committees and educational bodies so that you are constantly up to date with new material and aware of the ever changing policies and practices in our education system. Keeping strong links and ties with all stakeholders in the school environment is going to make your transition from University to workforce a whole lot easier Amy (Marsh, 2004).  This links directly to elements 6 and 7 of the Professional Teaching Standards. Both these elements highlight the importance of professional commitment in the teaching profession. It is vital that you understand the value of these standards Amy and embrace their relevance and importance to you as a beginning teacher.

You also need to be resilient as a beginning teacher and understand that things will not always be done in a way that suits your needs and wants. Resilience is an important characteristic to develop as a teacher and involves being able to bounce back after adversity and disappointment. Moore-Johnson and Kardoe (2002) highlight some of the typical and unhelpful cultures that some beginning teachers like you often face. The first one being the ‘veteran- orientated professional culture’, where the modes and norms of professional practice are determined by and aimed at serving veteran faculty members. Amy, this type of culture will most likely be present in most schools across the state; however there is a lot to gain from many of these ‘veteran’ faculty members and you should remain open to their ideas and professional knowledge.

The project BEAM Team are strong supporters of beginning teachers and advocate the need for colleagues to work with other colleagues in establishing a large learning community. There are numerous stakeholders in a school environment that can assist beginning teachers such as you, in making a smooth transition into the teaching workforce. A supervising teacher is one such person who has been allocated to help you adjust to your new job. Amy, it is important to build a strong, honest and trusting relationship with this person, so that they will guide you through the ins and outs of the school you have been allocated and help you with resources, planning, programming, assessment and any other crucial matters. It may seem like your supervising teacher doubts your abilities at times, but they are just trying to guide and help you through this period of your teaching career. And just remember Amy that they too were once in the same shoes as you!

Chin up and stay in the game!
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Project BEAM