Why New Teachers Need A Ton of Help and Support

So, I'm looking over the Minnesota Standards of Effective Practice for Teachers. There are ten standards, many with multiple facets or sub-standards attached, like #2, Student Learning, which reads:

A teacher must understand how students learn and develop and must provide learning opportunities that support a student's intellectual, social and personal development.

Don't panic, I think to myself, by the time you were 10 years into your teaching practice, you were actually reasonably competent in a majority of them.

And that's definitely true. The flip-side--and the bad news for millions of new teachers out there--is when I started teaching, I was not fully competent in any of them.

Sorry, but it's the truth.

Look at the list:

1. Subject Matter. A teacher must understand the central concepts, tools of inquiry and structures of the disciplines taught and be able to create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.

2. See above.

3. Diverse Learners. A teacher must understand how students differ in their approaches to learning and create instructional opportunities that are adapted to students with diverse backgrounds and exceptionalities.

4. Instructional Strategies. A teacher must understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage student development of critical thinking, problem solving and performance skills.

5. Learning Environment. A teacher must be able to use an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create learning environments that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning an self-motivation.

6. Communication. A teacher must be able to use knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration and supportive interaction in the classroom.

7. Planning Instruction. A teacher must be able to plan and manage instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community and curriculum goals.

8. Assessment. A teacher must understand and be able to use formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social and physical dvelompmnet of the student.

9. Reflection and Professional Development. A teacher must be a reflective practitioneer who continually evaluates the effects of choices and actions on others, including students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community and who actively seeks out opportunities for professional growth.

10. Collaboration, Ethics and Relationships. A teacher must be able to communicate and interact with parents or guardians, families, school colleagues and the community to support student learning and well-being.

Now, it goes on from here to list a series of skills and requirements under each of these standards, and while they are generally reasonable and even germane to the job of teaching, I am really impressed by the magnitude and extent of the responsibilities and skills that teachers are required to possess.

I mean, each of these areas could be thought of, and indeed are in most cases, a field of specialization to such an extent that individuals can earn PhDs in them.

Yet, because we are only teachers, our level of expertise and excellence is only required to be what? -- just very good? Acceptable? Average?

I want to talk more about this but for now, hear this: The job of teaching is enormous.

From content expertise, to knowing how learning works in students, to understanding diverse cultures, to being highly skilled at instructional practice, planning, assessment, communication, while also being able to be highly reflective, ethical, collaborative and interested in one's own professional growth.

And, of course, when all else fails, the teacher has to be very good at relationships: starting them, maintaining them, repairing them and learning to let go of them, whether it is with children, colleagues, superiors, parents or anybody else who finds their way into the building.

Good gracious!

We need more than a website to get this done!!!!

But, we are where we are. For now, the New Teacher Network is standing in the breach and ready to do this work. We hold the highest possible expectations for the work of teaching; and fully realize that the goal is not perfection, but growth and excellence. Those are worthy and manageable things to shoot for.

May it be a fruitful and productive new year for all.

And, as we used to say in the 10-step program: Keep coming back; it's working.