Richard D. Solomon's Blog on Mentoring Jewish Students and Teachers

Our hope is that this blog will become a forum in which people can exchange ideas on how to recruit, develop and retain exceptional Jewish educators through mentoring and e-mentoring students, teaching candidates, and teachers in our day and supplemental schools. The present focus of this blog is to empower Jewish teachers, administrators, teacher trainers, consultants, and staff developers to integrate web technology (i.e. web tools and apps) into their teaching and teacher training.

Friday, August 14, 2009

How Does a First Year Teacher’s Attitude Toward Teaching Change During the First Year in the Profession?

Whatever technical assistance you might share with your mentee, we believe it is important for the mentor to understand some of the underlying developmental and psychological issues that may not be voiced by the mentee. For example, E. Moir (1999) identified these six phases that a novice teacher passes through during the first year of teaching.

*Moir's (1999) Phases of a First Year Teacher’s Attitude Toward Teaching

Phase Name	Time Frame	Questions/ Thoughts/Actions
Anticipation	Prior to the beginning of school	Isn’t it great to be a teacher? I can’t wait for the school year to begin. I'm already buying school supplies.
Survival	The first month of school	How will I ever survive? There’s just too much to do. I only get five hours of sleep at night.
Disillusionment	After six or eight weeks of teaching	This is just too much for me. How will I be able to face the parents for Open School Night? What lesson will I do for the school director's observation? Is teaching really for me? I’m sick and exhausted.
Rejuvenation	Beginning in January or after the winter break	Things are getting better. Most of my students are listening to me. Maybe I am a teacher? My time is better organized.
Reflection	Last six weeks of school	This year I learned … I’m never going to … Next year I will definitely … What fun things will I be doing this summer? What preparation will I need to do this summer? How can I celebrate the end of the school year?
Anticipation	Prior to the beginning of school	I’m excited about meeting my new class. What do I need to do now that will make this coming year the best ever? I'm spending a lot of time preparing for the new year.

We would suggest that these phases, questions, and actions do not only underlie the thoughts of novice teachers, but also are entertained by beginning teachers during the first five years of their career.

* Moir, E. (1999). The Stages of a Teacher’s First Year. In M. Scherer (Editor). A Better Beginning: Supporting and Mentoring New Teachers. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

In a future post we will explore the three stages of concern of beginning teachers during the first five years of their career.