It’s the first Friday in July, and that spells G-I-V-E-A-W-A-Y here at The Mailbox blog! For this month’s giveaway, let’s fast forward to fall.
A new school year can mean additions to grade-level teams; changes in support staff; and, perhaps, new administrators. What tips do you have for helping to make these types of transitions smooth and stress free for all parties involved?
Leave your tips on this blog post before midnight, July 14, EDT, and you’ll automatically be entered in a drawing for a free book or e-book from The Mailbox. Yes sirree, you could have a brand-new teacher resource for the beginning of the school year.
Eager to hear your ideas!
Diane
Congratulations to Debby! She’s the winner of our giveaway!
I think there are many things to do to make everyone’s day go easier. Bring in some cookies or other treats, and send the word for people to stop by. It makes for great chit chat, and you can get to know the new folks.
Also, be bold with the new teachers. They are fresh and scared out of their minds. Go in, introduce yourself and offer to help in their transition.
(After hour margarita parties are a local favorite for the first day back, when everyone’s setting up their room. )
Smile! Ask questions if you are unsure of something. Always remember that ALL school staff are a family that spends a LOT of time together. And always…SMILE! 😀
As one of those new teachers last year, I can say that making them feel welcome is really appreciated and helpful. So many teachers introduced themselves to me when they saw me and that helped me get to know the staff really quickly and feel comfortable there.
I’m looking forward to doing the same for others this year as we hire new teachers and staff members. A friendly smile and hello goes a long way! 🙂
Our school has a welcome day. It welcomes new teachers and it also sets up newer teachers with the current staff. Each new teacher gets a current staff member to turn to during the year to see if they are having problems or need help with something.
All year they also give new teachers tips, gifts and just someone to call when they need help.
New teachers feel welcomed and the current staff feels excited to help.
I love Mailbox and Teacher Helper! The resources are very useful. Thanks for creating a wonderful resource.
Our school has a new Principal this year and we are throwing a “Meet the new Principal” bash at the end of July so that parents, students and staff can all get together and meet her. I would also like to see a Q&A with the principal for just the staff.
I love The Mailbox magazine. I just wish they had more items for Science and Social Studies.
We get together for a breakfast and/or a BBQ with all staff a couple days before the beginning of school as a way to meet and greet everyone for the new year.
We have a small staff, so it is vital to make the new staff (and returning staff)to feel welcome and needed. It’s important to make them feel at home and be available to guide them when needed.
Extend the hand of friendship and offer any helpful suggestions to new co-workers. Offer help but not to much help they need to find their own space and ways of doing things.
I always throw new ideas into their teacher mailbox- to let them I’m here if they need anything. I always invite them to lunch a few weeks into school when the chaos ends. Getting them to know them as a person not just as the new teacher helps alot.
First and foremost, all parties must need to keep an open mind. There are always partnerships on teams that have lasted for a lifetime, but everyone involved is ultimately trying to reach the same goal… the kids! Sometimes the move is not what the incoming teacher wanted, so everyone needs to come together and communicate. Help each other out, never hide or refrain from giving explanation;that only hurts the team.
My school is in a unique situation this year. Our county had to close two small elementary schools and, as a result, we are welcoming about 10 new staff members to our school. Our transition began last year as we invited them to several of our end of year events. We are also having optional meetings throughout the summer. Our building principal sponsors a lunch at a local restaurant right before school begins as well. We communicate through email and do what we can to make our new teachers feel welcome.
Interesting, because as a mom and teacher I have just been through this. I have a son who is fully included and happens to have Down syndrome, we had team meetings for a week and I brought him with us to acclimate him with the team. So by the time school started he was well ready.
As a teacher, I find it important to acclimate every child with a significant disability to the IEP team, and be school ready on the first day of school.
Schools, teachers and administators are doing a dis service to everyone involved if this does not happen.
At the beginning of school our staff has a breakfast for the faculty and staff. We bring items for breakfast and talk about the coming first days, plan with grade levels, get on the same page with each other, and we get to catch up. So when school starts we are talking about school, assessments, etc., instead of gabbing. Every faculty meeting and event we have as a school we always pray for our children, parents, and guidance for teaching and prayer requests. We always welcome new people at the breakfast and see what needs have not been met yet and try to help throughout the year.
I was hired as a new preschool teacher’s aide last school year. The transition was easier because I had spent time in the classroom as a student teacher. I became well-acquainted with the teacher. The other teachers were friendly and willing to help whenever I seemed a little lost. Their suggestions and friendliness made the transition much easier. The principal was also friendly and made me feel welcomed. I think the staff’s friendly attitude was the key to a successful transition.
I hate to say but we don’t do anything at the beginning of the year to start us off stress free. We have (2) inservices and after the second inservice (that evening) is our Back To School Night!
Welcome Back!
I know we’re talking about transitions for new employees, but I think it’s also important to make a new transition for the students as well. They need to feel welcome in your classroom and they need to feel like they belong. It’s good to have a “break the ice” kind of day filled with games, fun, and friendship.
I think it is nice to start off with some team building but I know for most of the it is just busy with in service. I currently work a special needs preschool that is open all year round and we are getting a new director when we go back in a few days from our week off. Our executive director never lets a new director make changes for 6 months unless absolutely necessary. This gives us a chance to get to know them and they get a good long chance to see what we do and hopefully any changes that come will be helpful and not stressful. We also have an Employee Care Coordinator (voluntary) who tries to keep new people welcome.
One of the best ways to help a new staff member get settled in is to assign a “veteran” staff member as their mentor. This gives them someone to go to with questions about things that the veterans may take for granted, things like where to get supplies, procedures for duties, and which staff member keeps a ready supply of chocolate!! I also feel that a smile goes a long way in helping someone feel welcome.
I was a new teacher last fall and the staff really went out of their way to speak with me and help me out with any questions that I had.
Our school doesn’t do anything special, but since we are a small and pretty close knit group, I think we all take the time to stop in and talk to any new teachers and offer them help and support. Our teaching staff, para’s included, rely heavily on each other for professional and moral support. It is one of the best things about where I work.
It is best to arrange a few hours for teachers and administrators to meet in an informal atmosphere, and then some time to work together at school. This will help things go smoother that first week.
Stopping by the classroom/office of the new teacher/administrator daily, showing an interest, offering tips and help and a non-judgmental ear is helpful for any newbie. Knowing that help and compassion is available makes for an easy start.
At our school, each new staff is assigned a mentor. This person is someone who will check in on them throughout the year, help make sure they get technology things dealt with at the beginning of the year, help them wit the ins and outs of our particular school. Our district has a new teacher meeting and luncheon as well.
Having been on both side of this coin the last two years. I will begin with a new teacher please make sure they are understand procedures that are required by the school, such as how lunch counts are done,attendance, paperwork students will be returning and who gets what papers and which ones you keep, what is required when a sub is in the room, and emergency procedures or anything that you may take for granted. Last year there was a new teacher in my department, remembering how overwhelmed I was when this all came at me just as the students where arriving. I thought I had everything ready and well prepared until wham, I did not want this to happen to another, so I gave this new teacher everything I had to help her along.We both started the year on a much better foot.
I think the most important thing is to be flexible both for the new teachers/administrators and the veterans of the school. Willingness to accept new ideas is the best thing for the school and the kids.
Our district has a continental breakfast, they honor staff for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 yrs of service. They also introduce and welcome new staff.
Be a mentor for a new teacher for the year and provide support for him or her. Work together as a team to help and support each other with new transitions.
Deal with it! Change can be difficult but the new way is often better. Welcome the new people. Praise them when they do well, encourage them when things go wrong. Tell them when something is due, when something is expected to be done in a certain way by a certain time. When I’m the new one, thank others for their help, and ask for help! Don’t pretend that you know when you really do need help. Great book to help you deal with change is “Who Moved My Cheese?” It’s easy to read, has short chapters, is full of humor and practical insight into human behavior.
Our Teachers association has a mentoring program that works great. We match new teachers with the veterans. Because we are coop we are more isolated but we have area meetings where we can chat and get to know other teachers in the area.
My assistant is a former students Mom and we go way back but one way we bond and talk about our classroom issues is we walk together and after field trips we go to lunch. We even get togethr in the summer for a walk before our fattening fun lunches
I was also a new teacher last year and I had a great mentor teacher who guided me through the process. I also had an administrator who played a strong leadership role and fellow teachers who made me feel welcome every day by saying hello and dropping by to make sure I had everything I needed.
having the kids sing songs during the transition or dancing their way to the next activity helped me!
Be flexible and supportive of each other!