Mentor

Support for New Elective Teachers at Goodfun Middle School Jami Holbein Swanson University of Nebraska - Lincoln TEAC 930 Mini-Project Dr. Swidler Spring 2012

Introduction Attrition of beginning teachers, the impact of mentors, mentor programs and beginning teacher retention is the topic of this mini-project. Based on the 2003 research report, Is There Really a Teacher Shortage? co-sponsored by The Center for Teaching and Policy and The Consortium for Policy Research in Education, and new data released in September of 2011 by the U.S. Department of Educations National Center for Education Statistics, there is evidence that induction programs which include mentors for beginning teachers make a difference in the number of teachers who leave the profession in the first five years of their career. Through relationship- focused mentor/ beginning teacher collaboration, school districts can maximize the retention rate of highly qualified teachers and have the opportunity to guide them to becoming highly effective teachers. Collaborating with principals and curriculum specialists, I collect mentor/new teacher pairs as assigned for the first contract year. Ideally, selected mentors teach same grade level and content area, and have classrooms that are close in proximity to the new hire if possible. By joining the Friday Morning Goodfun Breakfast Club, I observed the interaction between three new to the profession teachers and their mentor over a period of 10 weeks. Questions that drove my inquiry from big picture to the focus of this mini-project include: What are the components of a comprehensive induction program? Are new teachers provided with sufficient transition support at the district and building level to make the move from student to teacher? What roles do mentors play in a comprehensive induction program?

How do mentors support new teachers?

Positive relationships between students and teachers impact student achievement; strong relationships with students appear to make instructional strategies more effective (Marzano, 2010). I contend that relationships between novice teachers and mentors impact new teacher development by improving instruction, and building self-efficacy. Supportive mentors, enthusiastic about teaching, model what it takes to be a successful teacher as they help new teachers cope with the transition from student to teacher and the complexities of a classroom. For some mentors, giving back to the profession is their mission. Passionately committed teachers are those who absolutely love what they do. They are constantly searching for more effective ways to reach their children, to master the content and methods of their craft. The feel a personal missionto learning as much as they can about the world, about others, about themselves and helping others to do the same. (Zehm and Kottler, 1993, p.118) Sharing that passion with a new hire produces a synergistic relationship one that pushes and pulls both the experienced mentor and the new teacher to continue the journey of learning as much as they can to inform and improve their practice and work with students building a strong sense of self- efficacy. Procedures & Methods The center of this qualitative mini-project is to find out what is happening

between mentors and new hires in the context-specific setting of the Friday Morning Teacher Breakfast at Goodfun Middle School. To better understand what is happening with these teachers and their mentor, I observe interactions, interview

the mentor and new hires, work with the new hires on classroom management and let each participant tell me their story in the process. My focus is not to count the number of new hires who leave or to determine/predict the cause of attrition. My focus is to better understand how new hires and mentors interpret their experience, construct their worlds, and what meaning they attribute to their experiences (Merriam, 2009). As at times as an active member researcher and at others as a complete member researcher (Adler & Adler, 1987), I attend Friday Morning Breakfasts. Most of Goodfun teachers and support staff participate; however, the three new elective teachers and their mentor are where I focus my attention at first. My role as a professional development specialist serving new teachers and world language curriculum specialist cross paths as I observe and participate in the growth of the new world language teachers. After the first observation I focus my attention on the Chinese teacher and his relationship with his mentor. At times I have to take action because of the information I learn in the observations and interviews. The stories that lead to the action are reflected in the two observations, extracted narrative and analytic memo. Writing up field notes from observations of the Friday Morning Teacher Breakfast (Appendix A & C), an interview with the mentor (Appendix B), an extracted narrative (Appendix D) and interactions with one of the new hires in a context other than Goodfun Middle School (Appendix E & F), I searched for patterns to explain the phenomenon of how new hires survive the first year of teaching. I used different colors to code strands of instruction, classroom management and the

stress levels of the new hires across field notes, observations and interviews. Looking a cross the data I confirm that Goodfun Middle School is a difficult school to teach in due to the recent changes in administration, the move back to the remodeled Goodfun Middle School building, and a diverse student population with a 78% free/reduced lunch rate (Appendix A). The question I continue to ask, What does a mentor do to support new teachers? Analysis and Presentation of Findings For two years the Goodfun Middle School student population combined with

the Dundee Middle School neighborhood student population to become Goodfun at Dundee Middle School. The combined staff and students from the two schools occupied the Dundee building for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years while the Goodfun site was under construction for remodeling and expansion. Due to severe budget cuts, many teachers in the district were surplussed in the fall of 2011. Neither Goodfun nor Dundee would be big enough for all of the teachers in the combined building to stay together. Teachers who wanted to teach at Dundee had to apply and interview for open positions. Teachers interested in returning to Goodfun began moving back into the Goodfun building in July of 2011. Because of the shift in staff, three new elective teachers were hired to teach Chinese, Family Consumer Science and Spanish classes. All three of these teachers are new to the district, the Chinese teacher has one year of experience teaching English in Taiwan, but no experience teaching in the United States.

The past few years the enrollment at Goodfun at Dundee has consistently

been near 700 students. Half of the students at Goodfun at Dundee Middle School considered themselves as white when filing out demographical information for the district. Hispanic students make up the next largest group with 20% of the student population. Seventy-eight percent of students qualify for free/reduced lunches. English language learners make up almost 4% of the population. Many seasoned teachers find it challenging to meet the needs of the students

at Goodfun. Teachers, office and custodial staff gather informally, supporting each other and building collective efficacy as they get used to the new space. An example of an informal gathering is Friday Morning Teacher Breakfast. Teachers sign up to bring breakfast items to share in the teachers lounge (See Appendix A for descriptive notes, photos of the lounge, breakfast offerings, and sign up sheets). Conversations between teachers center upon instruction, classroom management and the stress of working in a high needs building. The Spanish teacher is in a room that is too small to accommodate the number of desks she needs to have one for each student. The Chinese teacher struggles with understanding slang and students with thick accents. The FCS teacher who doesnt sew, deals with students stealing thread and buttons that end up in the halls and other classrooms (Appendix B). The mentor, Shirley, has a similar problem of student theft. Students are stealing thread used to make friendship bracelets and throwing her consumable items around in other classes. Teachers are coming to Shirley to find out if the string belongs to her. Shirley is embarrassed her students are stealing from her and is plans to address the theft issue the following day in her Art class. She invites the Chinese teacher to

come into her class to observe her handling of the situation (Appendix A). He accepts the invitation but does not come to class to observe Shirley holding a class meeting to address her students and the string incident. Shirley is disappointed. Classroom management is challenging at Goodfun. Because Shirley learns from students in the class, and teachers who have had string appear in their classes, who is stealing the string, she chooses to use her relationship with the students in her class to help monitor student behavior and to ensure the theft stops immediately. Because she did not see anyone steal the string, she was unable to use the BIST protocol. BIST (Behavior Intervention Support Team) is the behavior management model used by the entire building. Teachers have been trained in the model and are expected to use it to redirect students. It works because all Goodfun teachers and administrators use common language and protocols with students. I do not have formal training in BIST, but I do know the protocols. In a situation with a student in the Chinese teachers class, BIST worked to get a student who left his class without permission to the office even though the student does not know me (Appendix A). The second observation was a formal occasion; the Friday Morning Teacher

Breakfast time slot was used to introduce potential principal candidates to the staff. The principal for more than 10 years has recently announced his retirement. This morning looked considerably different than the first observation. It was held in the media center rather than the teachers lounge. The food was catered fruit and muffins. Juice served in carafes rather than the bottles it was purchased in. The topic of conversation for the new elective teachers this morning is staffing points.

Each teacher would have the same number of classes or more than this year. It was an exciting time for all of them. William had some decisions to make about his teaching assignment for the coming year (Appendix C). Relationships with others seem to be the key to the success of teachers both

experienced and novice. Goodfun teachers go to great lengths to support each other and to get to know each other. When the Chinese teacher first arrives at Goodfun, he introduces himself as William. Shirley, the mentor asks him what his Chinese name is. He tells her. Shirley sends an email to alert staff that Williams name is Zheng and that we (Goodfun staff) should honor who he is by learning to pronounce his Chinese name and not to be an Ugly American. Through conversations with Shirley and the administration I learn Shirley champions fiercely for William and wants him to feel welcomed at Goodfun (Appendix D). Shirley is a relational teacher, and seeks opportunities to work closely with new hires. The Chinese teacher referring to her as his American Mom is also evidence of a strong relationship between the two (Appendix E). While I do not question Shirleys intent when she sent out the email about his Chinese vs. American name, I do question the impact it has had on their relationship. Did he see her as an advocate or was he offended? Outside of Goodfun Middle School, William and I have a UNL class together on Thursday evenings. It is part of his commitment to improve his teaching skills as he works towards a Masters degree in Education. TEAC 887 is an educational reform course. This semester the focus is upon designing The Global Leadership Academy. The final project covers challenges we see and viable solutions to those

challenges prior to opening the academy. As we collect information about various school structures, we visit sites in a 60-mile radius that have alternative schedules, serve the needs of a specific population with a nontraditional schedule or have designed a new and different program. William has limited experience with American high schools. Each site visit is very exciting for him. He asks many questions and takes copious notes. Interpretive Commentary In this instance, Shirley has had a profound impact on the teaching and

learning of the new hires at Goodfun Middle School, especially William. Providing a weekly, informal meeting to check-in with and on new hires brings the new hires and mentor much closer as they share stories of their week. Using food as a lure is a classic strategy to bring people together. Based on what I heard and saw during my time at Goodfun and interactions with William, I am not confident he would have survived the year. During the first observation, William did not come to the breakfast. When he didnt attend the class meeting Shirley invited him to observe so he could watch how she addresses students who steal from her I become concerned about him. He shouldve reported to duty by 7:45 that morning. When I walk into his class he becomes gravely concerned and realizes he has missed the opportunity to observe Shirley in action. William follows Shirley and me out of the classroom. His students are thrilled he is distracted. The email exchange between us shows his concern; his concern for his job and for pleasing me as his supervisor. My role moves from active to complete membership during this time.

During the interview with Shirley she shares with me Williams struggles with classroom management. William is a new to the United States Chinese national, part-time Mandarin Chinese teacher who splits his time between two buildings - two buildings that are polar opposites. William continues to struggle with classroom management and engaging students. The fast pace of the middle level classroom, specifically the quick communication between students, causes problems for William as he often does not understand the language (English is not always the language used) students are using. William told Shirley, When more than one person is speaking in English, I have problems understanding. I grow concerned about his ability to appropriately manage a classroom of 28 all competing for his attention. Shirley is concerned about Williams comprehension and classroom interactions. Because of our joint concern, I set up a formal observation for William to get

a better idea of what is actually going on in his classroom. Rather than formally observing the class, I serve a role more like a behavior disorder special education teacher. Students do not enter the classroom in an orderly fashion. Two students are stealing Cheetos from another students bag and eating them as fast as they can. William races across the classroom to secure the Cheetos. Another eruption of student behavior explodes on the opposite side of the classroom. The lesson was all in Chinese and based on the book most students know, Brown Bear, Brown Bear. At first students are engaged and excited about the lesson. The repetition of language becomes monotonous for some students who protest with poor behavior. A female student asks to use the restroom. She does not return in a reasonable amount of

time. Students volunteer to go find her. I tell the class I will look into it. I find the girl in the bathroom. She makes it clear, I do not need your help. We return to class. With seven minutes left of class, the girl gets up and leaves without permission. I follow her. (Appendix A, email exchange) I am even more concerned about his classroom management than I was prior to the formal observation. The BIST support person was in his class last week, but did not offer any

suggestions. The BIST support person just sat in his room and left before the class was over. Shirley shared with me that William is not an effective teacher; students are not learning Chinese. She struggles with how she can support him. Based on the interview with Shirley and what I have seen of his teaching, I am surprised he comes back every day. He has never experienced such lively students as a student or as a teacher. Shirley sees William as a pushover; the students know it and abuse it. (Appendix B) During the second observation (Appendix C) I learn staffing points have been

allocated to buildings and teachers are being told about their teaching assignments for the coming year. Williams assignment has grown a section. He has the opportunity to teach .6 FTE (.6 FTE is the most he is allowed to teach per the contract between the Confucius Institute and LPS) at Goodfun. The associate principal is excited but concerned. She asked me if I thought Williams number had increased because students were excited about learning Chinese or if they knew his class was a free for all. I am not confident his growth is due to excitement about Chinese language and culture. Students figure out quickly which classes to take and which ones to avoid based on who is teaching the course.

In planning for the coming school year, William had some decisions to make.

He could teach in another building with a much less challenging student population, but chose to stay at Goodfun with his Shirley, even though the environment provides more difficult challenges. Since the classroom management concern was raised, and his course load

increased, the associate principal began to stop by Williams classroom more often. She provided feedback on what he was doing well and what needed attention. It has been decided that his lessons are well planned and implemented for a novice teacher. Classroom management concerns are not as great as they were in the past. William is responding well to recommendations and ideas about routines and procedures, and implementing them in his classroom. I watch as he becomes more confident with his instruction and student interaction. Much work is ahead of us, but we are on the right track. I return to the question that drove the mini-project: How do mentors support new hires? Through the weekly sharing of instructional strategies, classroom management techniques and common stressors faced by teachers, effective mentors model resiliency and determination to master their craft. Threaded through the time spent together, sharing of experiences good and bad- relationships are formed, and people are bonded together. Because William knows Shirley will look after him and guide him in his journey, he chooses the more challenging environment. Williams view of American culture, American education and of himself changes with each new experience. During a visit to Crete High School, William

describes his experience with Chinese students at Crete High School who are called by their Chinese names. He makes the connection that in Lincoln Public Schools, Chinese students he knows have a preferred name that is usually an American name they have chosen to be called. His monologue includes his desire for instilling pride in his students Chinese heritage by calling them by their Chinese names. He wonders why the difference. I wonder if he is questioning which name he should go by or if he has made this connection to his personal experience (Appendix F). Theoretical Discussion of Implications Each year the Lincoln Public Schools hires a new cohort of teachers. Some come with experience, others come fresh out of college, but both need support as they learn the culture of a new district. Mentors play a variety of roles when working with new teachers, but their primary goal is to be the insider or go to person for answers to questions and orientation to the profession, building, district, grade level, etc. Having an insider is important, however it is more important that the mentor guide the new hire to improve instruction by being a reflective practitioner, make informed decisions, build capacity, and to become a confident, efficacious teacher. Is Williams experience a common experience for new hires to Lincoln Public Schools? Do schools with high need populations have rituals in place that support the relationships they have with their colleagues to help them make it through difficult instructional, classroom management and stressful times? How does William not being assigned a mentor by his building principal at Lux impact his

desire to teach there? Is his decision to stay at Goodfun based solely on him having a mentor who supports him? For this mini-project, in this context, during this 10- week period, I contend that the relationship between William and Shirley is what drove his decision to remain at Goodfun and to continue to learn as much as he can about American culture, mastering his craft, and sharing his experience with others.

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