Supporting Each Other You Can Do

I'm writing this in the quiet morning of snow day #2. It's also brutally cold outside. There is a LOT going on right now, both in my little world and the bigger world beyond. And I'm not just talking about the weather. Politics, education, family life, social media, health, aging, etc. I was inspired today to write from a more personal perspective. We are ALL struggling in one way or another. You may not see it in others and you may not want to admit it about yourself. But we are. I am.

I read quite a bit. Not always books, but articles, emails, and blogs. I tend to be focused on educational resources. I enjoy them. I also try to share out when I find good articles and resources. This morning, as I was snuggled on my couch, I read "The #1 Reason My First Years of Teaching Were So Hard" from the We Are Teachers daily email I receive. The author, Kelly Treleaven, wrote this about 2 years ago, but what she shares is true today. It's a hard truth. And an ugly truth. Really ugly.

Reading this article where Kelly shares how hard her first several years of teaching were, has reminded me of how I felt my first years and also how I felt each time I stepped into a new teaching position over the last 20+ years. Overwhelmed. Scared. Nervous. Unsure. And the ultimate realization that I was reinventing myself. I was becoming a newer version of myself. Something so super scary at the beginning, but now looking back, necessary for me to be who I am today. I wasn't told or taught anything like this. I also didn't have all of the pressures that exist in 2026. Technology was vastly different. Support was wildly different, both inside and outside of school. Rules and requirements looked different. I could never have dreamed of being a district Technology Integration Specialist when I began teaching 5th grade at a little Catholic school in August, 2021. 

Reading Kelly's article, I feel my passion to support our newest teachers being reignited. I've already jotted down ideas I will take to my integration colleague in the hopes of building out a support structure for our district's new teachers ... not just our 1st years, but all new-to-us teachers. I want to delete the "assumptions" that "someone" is helping them. I am guilty of that quite often. Are you? 

Here are a few of my thoughts right now:

• assign every new-to-us teacher to either myself or my colleague
• identify a couple of staff in their building who've agreed to support them
• set up regular in-person meetings with them to help acclimate & ask questions
• prepare a notebook or collection of specific "helps" for the newbie in their position
• what programs are provided
• who is who in their building & district
• login information for our "stuff"
• links to our already built Staff Help Hub, highlighting key pieces of info
• an FAQ section
• place to write down questions or needs
• identify things we can do to help welcome them (work with building principals & Sunshine committee)
• reach out right now to our new teachers from this year to identify pain points they experienced & how we can help next years' newbie

Can you help me? What other things might YOU have wanted as a new teacher? What areas do we need to focus on specifically for our newbies - insurance? retirement? class management? Please help!

Teaching isn't easy. It never was. It still isn't. It's tougher than ever before. We can't keep losing those brave enough to choose teaching because they lack the support. We are teachers. At our core, we care. Not just for our students. We care for each other. Let's make it visible. Reach out to the newbies in your building. Check on them. I didn't make it this far on my own ... I have had so many wonderful people help me along the way. Let's return the favor. We will all be better for it.

P.S. I share out a lot of resources. Ones I create, ones others create, how to's, people I follow, etc. PLEASE share these. Time is a HUGE problem. Let's cut down the time we spend searching and instead spend out time supporting.

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