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With a Little Help

Melanie C . Melancon

s a first-year science teacher in a rural area, Ihave faced numerous challenges. Thank-fully, though, my school district offers aninnovative teacher induction program de-

from my FriendsFirst-year teachers benefitfrom an induction programA

signed especially for first-year teachers and those new tothe county. Program participants meet on a monthly ba-sis during the school year and—with the help of veteranteachers and school officials—share ideas on how togrow, develop, and improve. The result is a valuablesupport system that offers mentorship along with therare opportunity to interact with colleagues.

A familiar faceThe schools in my county do not rank among the top inthe state, and teacher pay is not the most outstanding.Because of these factors, combined with other issues ineducation, such as accountability and increased respon-sibilities, the county has difficulty retaining teachers.Meanwhile, at faculty meetings and in system newslet-ters, we are constantly reminded that students cravecontinuity and predictability and fare better with famil-iar teachers than with new faces each year. That’s whythe county implemented the teacher induction pro-gram, a strategy aimed at increasing retention amongits newest recruits. The idea is to make teachers feelcomfortable, welcome, and prepared so they will be M

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Starting with H2OOne of the most challenging aspects ofteaching is making a firm impression on thefirst day regarding discipline and classroommanagement, while also emphasizing a com-fortable environment where science is rel-evant. To help establish this, I developed atheme centered on water that can be revis-ited throughout the year.

Water is familiar to students, regardlessof their scientific background. This simple as-sociation can ease a student’s transition intohigh school science. Water is revisited in sci-ence lessons throughout the year (for ex-ample, bonding, polar molecules, compounds,solutions, cells); therefore, this introductionsets the stage for many lessons to come.

To begin, the teacher should start offthe first day by explaining rules and proce-dures; move into expectations, course ob-jectives, and relevant standards; and then introduce thetopic of water. I usually discuss how much the theme willbe revisited throughout the year. The next step for theteacher is to create a concept map on the board and askstudents to state everything they already know about theword water. The teacher writes everything down on theboard. This discussion serves two purposes—it reinforcesthe idea that class participation is expected and providesan understanding of students’ prior scientific knowledgeand vocabulary. If they recognize that H

2O is water, the

teacher should reward them verbally for already knowinga chemical formula.

At this point the prepared materials can be introduced:

� Three circles—two smaller circles of the same color,one larger circle of a second color

� Two slim rectangles of a third color.

The teacher now proposes a challenge (not exactly re-lated to water) by asking students to consider the followingquestions: “What does it mean to be a good student?” and“What are the qualities of a good teacher?” After a moment,students should write characteristics of a good teacher inone small circle and characteristics of a good student in theother small circle. Common responses for qualities of a goodstudent include: pays attention in class, does homework,

listens to teacher, is respectful, and wants to learn. Examplereplies for qualities of a good teacher are: respects students,smiles, makes learning fun, challenges students, and of course,doesn’t give a lot of homework. Teachers need to encour-age students to be honest but realistic in their responses.When everyone has written a response in each circle, theteacher asks students to think about how these three circlescan connect to the theme of water. After some discussionand hints about how many atoms are in a water molecule,students determine how to create a water molecule out ofthe three circles (Figure 1). The large circle represents theoxygen atom; it contains the phrase “Qualities of a great.”The two rectangles represent the bonds that hold the atomstogether; one has the word “teacher” and the other “stu-dent.” The two smaller circles represent the hydrogen at-oms; these contain students’ responses. Students help putthe molecule together on a bulletin board, which now readslike a flow chart and is filled with examples of qualities ofgood teachers and students.

The teacher can wrap up the activity by re-emphasizingthe significance of water and how it will come up severaltimes throughout the course. The result is a student-centered display that can be added to during the year, anonintimidating introduction to science, a chance to makeeach one think about being a good student, and the oppor-tunity to see what students expect from a teacher.

more inclined to stay within the county the followingschool year. A well-developed teacher induction pro-gram is one way to keep teachers happy, and happyteachers are more likely to stay where they are.

The programWhile most districts cannot meet all the demands of itsnew teachers, the induction program is a good startingpoint toward increasing retention. The plan is simple.Once a month, new teachers meet at the high school for

an hour after school. Each month the topic changes.Some of the topics are general (for example, how tomeet the needs of special education students), whileothers are more specific (such as, techniques and strate-gies for communicating with parents). At each meetingall participants receive a three-ring notebook at eachmeeting filled with useful handouts, reference sheets,and copy-ready information. Teachers sign in to docu-ment their presence, and at the end of the year earn onestaff development unit toward certification require-

F I G U R E 1

Water molecule flow chart.

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ments and a $150 stipend. Veteran teachers, departmentheads, and school officials present useful relevant top-ics. The new teachers keep coming back, however, forthe unique opportunity to converse with peers. Newteachers lack the chance to interact with others. Interac-tions with peers, self-reflection, and conversations areessential tools for teachers. Some days it is enough tohear that another teacher also struggles with making apositive impression on the first day (see “Starting withH

2O”) or getting students to turn in their homework on

time. Without such input from others, teachers can be-gin to feel isolated and alone.

Does this plan work?As a new science teacher, there are unique concerns andquestions specific to science teaching: “How will I ensurethat my students are really internalizing theconcepts and processes?” “How do I get allthe supplies I need?” and “How do I main-tain a safe and engaging environment for allof my students?” The large scope of theteacher induction program does not necessar-ily provide answers to these specific ques-tions, but teachers can take information fromthe meetings and apply it to special situationsand needs. For example, my classroom tendsto have many student-centered activities andopen-ended investigations, so I listened care-fully for tips and suggestions during the“classroom management” session. None ofthe information from the meetings focuses di-rectly on teaching science or a solution to ev-ery problem, but instead provides necessaryresources to improve situations.

Additional helpIn our county first-year teachers also are assigned a men-tor. These mentors are tremendously helpful at times.Honest and open conversations with my mentor aboutboth my successes and failures helped me reflect uponmy teaching practices. Regular interactions with mymentor also ensured that I was aware of duties and re-sponsibilities. Perhaps most importantly, my mentor wasa motivator who encouraged me daily and constantlyreminded me why I was a teacher.

Another technique aimed at improving teacherinteractions is the adoption of “shared” planning peri-ods. Our county will soon change from block schedul-ing to a seven-period day—we will teach five periods,one period is allotted for independent planning, andone period is allotted for shared planning. Time is allo-cated to meet with other teachers of the same gradelevel in different disciplines to coordinate efforts toeducate the students effectively and comprehensively.For example, one share group may consist of a ninth-

grade literature teacher, math teacher, English teacher,science teacher, and vocational teacher. The groupmeets daily to integrate lessons and share techniques.One day a week is devoted to technology integration,and the focus is always on teachers working together asteams. This change gives first-year teachers another op-portunity to collaborate with their colleagues.

Professional development opportunitiesAside from the teacher induction program, mentors, andadoption of shared planning periods, my county also hasprovided the professional leave time necessary to attendannual conferences sponsored by our state science teach-ers association. The focus at the meetings is not just onnew teacher concerns but also on science education is-sues. Teachers also have the opportunity to present ideas

and teaching techniques to other educators. The ex-change of ideas and knowledge keeps science educationdynamic at the national, state, system, and school levels.Systems that want to keep good teachers on board andinformed must offer opportunities to attend professionalconferences and workshops.

I am thankful that my system offers these valuabletools that have given me, and countless others, an excel-lent career start. And the county’s efforts must beworking. Preliminary information compiled by myprincipal suggests that the turnover rate for the 2002–2003 school year will be only 10%, down from thenearly 30% turnover for the 2001–2002 school year.We’re hoping that things continue to improve with thehelp of these programs! �

Melanie C. Melancon is a science teacher and de-Melanie C. Melancon is a science teacher and de-Melanie C. Melancon is a science teacher and de-Melanie C. Melancon is a science teacher and de-Melanie C. Melancon is a science teacher and de-partment chair at Greene County High School, 1002partment chair at Greene County High School, 1002partment chair at Greene County High School, 1002partment chair at Greene County High School, 1002partment chair at Greene County High School, 1002S o u t h M a i n S t r e e t , G r e e n s b o r o , G A ; e - m a i l :S o u t h M a i n S t r e e t , G r e e n s b o r o , G A ; e - m a i l :S o u t h M a i n S t r e e t , G r e e n s b o r o , G A ; e - m a i l :S o u t h M a i n S t r e e t , G r e e n s b o r o , G A ; e - m a i l :S o u t h M a i n S t r e e t , G r e e n s b o r o , G A ; e - m a i l :melanconm@greene.k12.ga.us.melanconm@greene.k12.ga.us.melanconm@greene.k12.ga.us.melanconm@greene.k12.ga.us.melanconm@greene.k12.ga.us.

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