The first year in the classroom is often the most challenging for teachers. Learning their way around a new campus, juggling lesson plans and building rapport with their students can feel overwhelming at times. The North East ISD First Year Teacher Academy hopes to alleviate some of those stressors with support and guidance for teachers with zero years of teaching experience at the elementary and middle school levels.
The 2019-2020 school year marks the second year of the program. This year, there are 60 first-year elementary school teachers being paired with a "Master Mentor" to help them navigate their new roles and responsibilities.
Dawn Bodhi is a first-year kindergarten teacher at Thousand Oaks Elementary School. She's already applying what she's learned from the program's lead4ward curriculum.
"I think this really focuses a little less on the big teaching concepts and helps you focus on the details," said Bodhi. "It gives me real tangible things to take back to my classroom, so I can personalize my lessons or activities to fit my students."
Elementary teachers with one year of teaching experience have the opportunity to be a part of the sophomore cohort, which allows them to build on the growth, development and support they've received in and out of the classroom.
The First Year Teacher Academy expanded to NEISD middle school teachers this year. Shane Wanner is one of 30 educators in the program. He teaches social studies at Wood Middle School and is already benefiting from the experienced counsel and encouragement he's received.
"The support is amazing," said Wanner. "I've talked to some teachers at other districts, and they talk about the support not really being there, but at North East ISD it is. Having this first-year teacher academy is really great. It gives us a whole bunch of additional resources."
NEISD's First Year Teacher Academy is provided to teachers at no additional cost. The District support team is a constant positive force all year long, and beyond, to help foster personal and professional growth. NEISD is committed to supporting, empowering and retaining the invaluable teachers across at every campus.
"NEISD has far surpassed all of my expectations," said Bodhi. "They've created such a solid support system that feels like a family of people. Just knowing that they have an investment in me makes me want to invest everything back to my students."
Plans to expand the First Year Teacher Academy to first-year high school teachers in the 2020-2021 school year are already underway.
