Reflecting on a New Start
Starting a new school year is always exciting! We all get NEW everything: new books, new teachers, new backpacks, new friends, and the list goes on. The building buzzes with laughter, friendly conversations, and some worried looks coming from those students and teachers who might be “new” to the school.
In my role, I often focus on new teachers, particularly those assigned to my team. As we enter the fifth week of school and I reflect on how this first month went, I immediately think I could have done more for the new teachers joining us. Yes, we shared common practices, routines, ideas, and the overall functioning of our school. Is that enough though? At least once a week I have found myself thinking I could have provided more detail on a particular event or policy that would have made our new teachers’ lives much easier these first few weeks. I am not talking about policies, rules, or established routines. I am talking about those little tips and ideas that are not so obvious, yet we sometimes assume all teachers know. Starting a new job is overwhelming on its own, but I feel starting a new teaching job can be even more stressful as routines and activities are different at every school. New teachers, whether experienced or not, still need to learn all these little details that make every institution unique. At our school, for example, we have established certain events that engage students in global educational activities. We have been participating in the Global Cardboard Challenge for six years now, and for most of us, it is second nature. Inspired by Caine’s Arcade, we use the Global Cardboard Challenge as our first schoolwide STEAM project where students in every classroom use the engineering design process to design, build, and refine an arcade game connected to their learning. Usually, since the beginning of the school year, students, teachers, and families know to bring in cardboard and any recyclable material that might be useful for our Learning Arcade. We all know the process. Students and families know the process. We forget to let our new teachers in on every detail of this significant school event as with many other established routines and activities.
Every year I start a list of tips, notes, and information that I intend to share with our new teachers and, while the main topics are covered, I still seem to forget this or that and I cannot help but feel that I have left my new colleagues in the “dark” with one or more ideas that are certain to make them feel more welcomed and fully part of our team. So this year I decided to use a journal to help me record the not so obvious to share with all next year.
In the process of writing this journal, I have found myself reflecting on my work, the work of those around me, and the dynamics of our school. Reflective practice not only helps me understand what works and where there are opportunities for growth. I hope to share these reflections with you throughout the year.
