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- The 2008 Readers' Survey was conducted at Edutopia.org March 26-April 30, 2008. Participants responded to questions in their own words, and their answers were tabulated to yield the top three to five vote getters in each category. The top responses for each question appear with voting buttons to encourage our visitors to participate further.
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Readers' Survey 2008: Best Way for Schools to Keep New Teachers from Burning Out
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Five readers answered this question simply by saying "Support, support, and support," while others elaborated on the many forms such support can take: training, encouragement, better pay, and having mentors for multiple years. "Mentoring" was the number-one response, and readers provided practical suggestions for how to make it work, such as releasing veteran teachers from some of their duties so they can mentor younger teachers, paying mentors better, and providing new educators with more opportunities to observe high-quality teaching during the school day.
Other burnout-prevention ideas included having new teachers begin by team teaching with a highly qualified teacher, and not giving entry-level teachers the toughest kids. Still, some of the despair from burnout leaked into answers such as "I wish I knew" and "Just keep out of my way."
What do you think? Weigh in on the results.
Preventing teacher burnout
Effective administrative and peer support are critical to the success of a new teacher. As a new teacher in a South LA Elementary School, I had a paid mentor. I was one of the 2 new teachers she was paid to mentor. After the October "norming," I was given a 4/5 split of (mostly under-acheiving)students that had been pulled from their classrooms during this reorganization. My mentor knew that I was drowning; I told her so! I went to her for help, but other than a sympathetic ear, I didn't receive any "mentoring". My room partner kept the door locked between our rooms, and the faculty and office staff turned a deaf ear.
That was 7 years ago. Surviving that trial-by-fire made me a better teacher, but I still feel guilt and regret for the 32 students in my classroom that year. Adults need to put their egos and preconceived notions aside, and work to be more effective educating the children we teach.
I am a first time blogger and a graduate student at Walden University. I teach first grade and am in my fifth year. This is my third year at my new school. I am writing in response to how to keep new teachers from burning out. Since I've had the opportunity to be a new teacher at two different schools, I've had a chance to see things that were beneficial to a new teacher. I have experienced that it has been valuable to have a mentor teacher. Preferably on the same grade level as the new teacher. I found my mentor to be very helpful during my first year of teaching. I also think it is great to have some type of new teacher meeting monthly or biweekly to give new teachers an opportunity to ask questions and share ideas. I can remember my first year at my current school, and I'd leave with questions running through my mind everyday. I was fortunate enough to have an entire group of new teachers in my building that I was able to consult with. It was also beneficial to know that the administration was supporting new teachers. Something I've found to be extremely helpful is to observe other teachers in your building. In the beginning it was great to see other teachers in my grade level, and now it is great to see a teacher of any grade level, and to hopefully pick up some new teaching strategies that can be adapted to your grade level. I agree with Janet stating that longtime teachers should put their egos and preconceived thoughts about new teachers aside and professionally focus on ways to help the new teacher better themselves at their practice.