K el lerISD

I have three older brothers, Larry, Rick and Mark. All are quite a bit older than me. For example there are 20 years between my oldest bother and I. The brother closest to my age is Mark. I remember him living at home for a brief period of time as I was growing up. He was, and still is, the hunter of the family. I re-member him trading dogs, guns, cars, and telling hunt-ing and fishing stories. I was about 13 when I went on my first hunting trip with him. We lived in the country about 200 yards from a creek that provided a multi-tude of adventures growing up (but those are stories for another day). This particular evening we were going “coon hunting.” I had never been, but had heard all of the stories, most of which

were embellished; I was excited! The evening began by re-leasing the dogs, turning on the flashlights and heading into the night. As we walked we could hear the dogs bark occasionally , but we were listening for the distinctive howl that would alert us that a raccoon had been spotted and caught in a tree. This story reminds me of what we do as mentors. I am not recommending turn-ing the dogs loose on a teacher or running them up a tree, but I do see some similarities. When hunting we were listening for the distinct sound to let us know where to find the dogs and the raccoon.

A big part of what we do as mentors is to silently sit and listen for the signals. It is our job to listen beyond what is being said for the opportu-nities to influence. Once we heard the howl we followed the sound and meet the dogs, located the raccoon and bagged the prize. As mentors we must meet the teachers where they are and work to help them achieve their goals which is the ultimate prize.

CO M M U N I C AT I O N I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Professional Learning Community Schedule of Topics

2

Reminders 2

Enforceable Statements 3

Messages for New Teachers

4

Phases of First Year Teaching

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MENTOR MINUTE

C O M M U N I C A T I O N Q U O T E S

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw  “To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” – Anthony Robbins

Mentor Minute

R E M I N D E R S . . .

PRO F E S S I O NA L LE A R N I N G CO M M U N I T Y SC H E D U L E O F TO P I C S

• If you have not turned in your “Mentor Invoice” for the month of September, please do so as soon as possible. Please follow the submission schedule below. Invoices can be faxed to 817-741-3548. Month Invoices Due September Week of September 13 October Week of October 11 November Week of November 8 December Week of December 6 January Week of January 10 February Week of February 14 March Week of March 7 April Week of April 11 May Week of May 23

• It is unnecessary to document time on the “Mentor Invoice”. I simply need the day of the week you are in your new teacher’s classroom. Remember, the grant requires you to be in a new teacher’s classroom at least one hour per week.

• Our next mentor meeting is on October 7th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Administration Building in the Lone Star room. Please have the introduction and Chapter 1 of The Heart of Mentoring read prior to this first meeting.

“Communication is the real work of

leadership.”

Nitin Nohria

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Month Topic FYT Notebook FYT Power Point

September

The Effective Teacher

Pages 9-19

Slides 7-14

October

Managing the Classroom

Pages 36-57

Slides 27-56

November

Discipline

Pages 58-72

Slides 57-64

Dec/Jan

Teaching for Learning

Pages 89-103

Slides 75-106

February

Teaching for Learning

Pages 89-103

Slides 75-106

March

Discipline

Pages 58-72

Slides 57-64

April

The Effective Teacher

Pages 9-19

Slides 7-14

May

Mentor Minute

T U R N Y O U R W O R D I N T O G O L D T H E A R T O F E N F O R C E A B L E S TA T E M E N T S F O R T H E S C H O O L

Love and Logic Solutions

www.loveandlogic.com

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Ineffective Technique Love and Logic Technique

Please sit down. I’m going to start now. I’ll begin as soon as your seated.

Please be quiet. It’s time to begin. I’ll be glad to start as soon as you show me that you are ready.

Open your books to page 54. I’ll be working from page 54.

I’m not going to line you up until everyone is quiet.

I’ll be lining people up as soon as it is quiet.

Don’t sharpen your pencil while I’m talking. I allow people to sharpen pencils when I am not giving instructions.

You can’t go to the restroom until I finish the directions.

Feel free to go to the restroom when I am not giving directions.

Don’t bother your neighbors. You are welcome to stay with us as long as you and others are not being bothered.

Keep your hands to yourself. Feel free to stay with us when you can keep your hands to yourself.

Turn your assignments in on time or you’ll get a lower grade.

I give full credit for papers turned in on time.

Don’t talk to me in that tone of voice! I’ll listen as soon as your voice is as calm as mine.

You show some respect. I’ll be glad to discuss this when respect is shown.

Don’t be late for class. All of those who arrive on time will go home on time.

Don’t try to turn in sloppy papers to me. I’ll be glad to accept all papers that meet the neatness standard for this room.

Keep your desk organized and neat. All owners of neat desks are welcome to join us at recess.

I’m not loaning you anymore paper. I loan paper to those who have not borrowed before.

If you can’t remember your pencil, you’re just going to have to do without.

Feel free to borrow from anyone but me.

You’re not going out without your coat. You may go out as soon as you have your coat.

You’re not going to stay in this group and act like that.

You may stay with us if you can give up on that behavior.

Don’t you come back to this room until you can show some respect!

Feel free to come back to the room as soon as you calm down.

Stop arguing with me. I’ll be glad to discuss this with you as soon as the arguing stops.

Quit breaking the rules of the game. Those who can follow the rules are welcome to play the game.

Mentor Minute

The information below was taken from The 21st Century Mentor’s Handbook. There were two pages of statements, but I lifted the ones I thought were worthy of repeating. Your new teachers may need some of these to serve as re-minders during the year.

If I could say one thing to next year’s new teachers that would help make their year a success, I would say…

• You are a teacher. Now remember what it was like to be young and trying to learn hard, new things every day, and you will be a good teacher. Patience, a smile, and a sense of humor go a long way.

• You’ve got the whole year ahead of you, pace yourself. If you don’t ask, the answer is “no”.

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are unclear about something. Also don’t be afraid to exhibit your own individual teach-ing styles and techniques. We should always be able to learn from each other.

• Talk to other teachers. Get to know teachers on your hallway. Finally, remember you are not alone when you have a prob-lem in class or with a student.

• Organize a filing system and pick one day a week to file and organize all of your papers.

• Be open to suggestions.

• Communicate with fellow teachers, administrators, parents and departments often. Ask questions to clarify expectations and follow through on information given.

• Grade a couple of assignments daily. Papers can pile up before your eyes.

• Sit down with your mentor at the beginning of each quarter to look at the school calendar. Then prioritize and schedule all of your duties and tasks.

• Develop a relationship with someone who is positive and willing to offer advice, someone who has a few years’ experience and can give insight.

• Make one day out of your weekend a “school-free” day. Work expands to fill the space allowed.

• Take one day at a time. Believe in yourself. Take time for yourself!

• Learn your needs: instructional, environmental, administrators’ expectations, etc. Take the steps necessary to meet those needs and don’t be afraid to ask. Many people are here to help.

• At the beginning of the year go over the expectations for you and your mentor so that you know what to expect. They are getting paid to help you.

• Use your mentor as a sounding board for your concerns, questions and even successes. They are there to help, listen and support you.

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TH RO U G H T H E VO I C E O F NE W TE A C H E R S… ME S S A G E S F O R NE W TE A C H E R S

Mentor Minute

First-year teachers will move through a number of developmental phases. While not every teacher goes through this exact se-quence, these phases are very useful in the process of supporting your new teachers. These teachers move through several phases from anticipation, to survival, disillusionment, rejuvenation, reflection, then back to anticipation. Below are the stages through which new teachers move during this first crucial year.

ANTICIPATION PHASE New teachers enter with a tremendous commitment to making a difference and a somewhat idealistic view of how to accomplish their goals. One new teacher is quoted as saying, “I was elated to get the job but terrified about going from the simulated experi-ence of student teaching to being the person completely in charge.” This feeling of excitement carries new teachers through the first few weeks of school. SURVIVAL PHASE The first month of school is very overwhelming for new teachers. They are learning a lot and at a very fast rapid pace. During the survival phase, most new teachers struggle to keep their heads above water. They become very focused and consumed with the day-to-day routine of teaching. There is little time to stop and reflect on heir experiences. It is not uncommon for new teachers to spend up to seventy hours a week on schoolwork. New teachers, still uncertain of what really works, must develop their lessons for the first time. Although tired and surprised by the amount of work, first-year teachers usually maintain a tremendous amount of energy and commitment during the survival phase, harboring hope that soon the turmoil will subside. DISILLUSIONMENT PHASE After weeks of nonstop work and stress, new teachers enter the disillusionment phase. The intensity and length of the phase var-ies among new teachers. The extensive time commitment, the realization that things are probably not going as smoothly as they want and low morale contribute to this period of disenchantment. New teachers begin questioning both their commitment and their competence. Many new teachers get sick during this phase. During this phase, classroom management is a major source of dis-tress. At this point, the accumulated stress of the first-year teachers, coupled with months of excessive time allotted to teaching, often brings complaints from family members and friends. This is a very difficult and challenging phase for new entries into the profession. They express self-doubt, have lower self-esteem and question their professional commitment. In fact, getting through this phase may be the toughest challenge they face as a new teacher.

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PHASES OF FIRST YEAR TEACHING