Meeting New Teachers Where They Are: The People & Programs That Make A Difference

By Dr. LaToya Curry-Jones

LaToya remembers the day she laid her mother to rest like it was yesterday. Life changed suddenly and forever the day before she was supposed to have her degree conferred. After hours of waiting in the hospital, the four sisters learned their mother had passed away. As a twenty-four-year-old first-generation graduate, she had been eagerly looking forward to the ceremony. But now thoughts of celebrating were replaced by deep mourning. 

A few weeks later, another life-changing event occurred: the official beginning of her career in education. She had just signed a contract with the district and school where she student taught. LaToya’s entry into education began with a setback, and she isn’t the only one. Many teachers have personal struggles that impact their ability to be fully present in the classroom. Because education is becoming increasingly more common as a second career path, new teachers often bring more complicated family dynamics.

The idea of the “traditional teacher” is not so “traditional” anymore. That’s why new teacher support must be intentional work. 

In reflecting on her first year of teaching in 2002, LaToya sees parallels between the support she received and the Carolina Collaborative for Alternative Preparation (CarolinaCAP), a South Carolina model of the intentional support new teachers need and deserve. 

Meet Allison

Coping with the grief LaToya was feeling as a first-year teacher would have been unbearable if it wasn’t for her school support team. Many “LaToyas” are sitting in our new teacher orientation rooms, dealing with complex situations as they begin their careers. 

Mentors like Allison know they can make a difference. 

Allison proactively contacted LaToya over the summer to assist her with classroom set-up. LaToya only had a handful of books for her classroom library. When she opened the door of her classroom for the first time, she noticed all of the desks and furniture were in the center of the classroom. The previous teacher had not left much behind. Allison assisted with classroom set-up and shared many resources from her personal collection. Thanks to Allison, LaToya’s fourth graders started the year with a fully functioning classroom library. 

Over the next few weeks, her mentor planned with her, shared curriculum resources, allowed her to give input and add creativity to lessons and ensured she practiced self-care. LaToya wonders if she would have stayed if it wasn’t for Allison’s mentorship.

Not every first-year teacher is lucky enough to be paired with an Allison. Unfortunately, some novice teachers receive mentors in name only. CarolinaCAP requires a minimum of three hours of 1:1 weekly coaching. If first-year candidates do not receive an Allison, candidates still have access to the guidance needed to be successful. In addition, they attend monthly virtual learning community meetings. This built-in support guarantees no CarolinaCAP teacher embarks on their teaching journey alone.

Meet Dr. Moore

Dr. Moore, LaToya’s first principal, was deeply connected to the challenges of classroom teaching. Although he was an experienced leader of over 30 years, he understood the realities of teaching, including the paperwork, meetings, planning requirements, and the demands of family engagement. He helped make LaToya’s first year of teaching successful by only requesting necessities. His shielding of excess requests allowed her to keep the “main things, the main things.” This allowed her to focus on planning, delivery of instruction, and classroom management. Dr. Moore helped new teachers see their potential. He would often visit classrooms and leave actionable feedback. One of her favorite memories was the motivational sticky notes he left outside her door. As a first-year teacher, she had many areas for growth, yet the building leader communicated what she was doing right. This investment of time and care in building LaToya’s confidence as a teacher contributed to her staying in the field. 

People continue to do things that they feel they do well.

CarolinaCAP takes a hands-on approach to not only building the individual teacher candidate but also building the capacity of the support team of the teacher.

CarolinaCAP trainings are offered to district and building leaders and serve as ongoing reminders of the impact support systems have on first-year teachers’ trajectories.

Meet Shelia Washington

Who makes sure the school runs smoothly? Ms. Washington, the school’s administrative assistant and bookkeeper, served as the “hub” of the building. She had a kind heart and treated everyone like family. After learning about LaToya’s loss, she assisted LaToya beyond the classroom and helped her bridge gaps with the surrounding community. Supporting a new teacher includes attending to their social and emotional needs, and Ms. Washington did just that for LaToya and others. 

Many CarolinaCAP teachers encounter “Ms. Washingtons” in their school environments. Teachers and residents have many opportunities to reflect on their experiences and to identify the people supporting their journey. For example, CarolinaCAP recently scheduled an external review in one of our schools interviewing district, school leadership, teachers, and co-teachers. During this visit, our stakeholders enjoyed sharing about the heroes working at this campus. 

Meet Jane

Jane was an art teacher extraordinaire, and an advocate for providing students with avenues to love and grow in various art mediums. She authored several grants throughout her career that provided access to dance, drama, and steel and African drumming opportunities for students. Jane showed everyone the power of the arts. She empowered LaToya in this area by encouraging her to attend relevant professional development, assisting in grant writing, and connecting her to lifelong friends in the arts. 

CarolinaCAP opens the door for candidates to develop expertise in areas of passion like the arts, sports, and a growing list of content areas and developmental levels.

One CarolinaCAP teacher stated, “CarolinaCAP has been a tremendous help for me. I am so glad that they added Early Childhood Education. It has helped me obtain my license and find a job that I love.”

Giving Back to New Professionals 

Robyn was LaToya’s first student teacher. She loved her experience so much that she accepted a job at the same school where she student taught, just like LaToya. Robyn is still working in a support role at this school.

When the support is right, teachers stay. 

After twelve years in the profession, LaToya’s career and passion for mentoring new teachers led her to accept a role to support all new teachers in her school district. When teachers were asked to provide an overall rating of the Induction Program experience in a 2023-24 Mid-Year Survey, they rated it 4.64 out of 5.00. LaToya constantly receives feedback from the teachers she helps, including notes like this: “Thank you for taking the time to visit me a while ago at my school. Your kind words made me more motivated and empowered. I appreciate you.” 

The teacher candidates school districts are recruiting are increasingly those who have selected education as a second career. When the needs of teacher candidates change, the support must change. What should this support look like? 

CarolinaCAP is a powerful model of how to assist teachers who are achieving certification through an alternative route. CarolinaCAP mirrors the personalized mentorship LaToya experienced early in her career by building capacity across the system. This allows everyone to be part of the preparation and retention solution. We need programs like this to continue to assist in recruiting and retaining educators. Supporting new teachers is critical and this responsibility is ours. Given your role in the system, how are you stepping up?