Staff  Induction  Plan  for  Teachers  in  the  Middle  Career  Years:  Growth  Mindset  and  Tips  

and  Techniques  to  Avoid  Burnout  

 
Michael  Fletcher  

 Jenny  Gieselman  

 Andy  Phillips  

 Shelly  Schantz  

 
Oakland  University  
 
EA  8820  
 
Caryn  Wells,  Ph.D  
 
November  21,  2017  
Staff  Induction  Plan  for  Teachers  in  the  Middle  Career  Years  
By:  Michael  Fletcher,  Jenny  Gieselman,  Andy  Phillips,  and  Shelly  Schantz  

 
  
 
Audience:  Teachers  years  10-­20  
 
Purpose:  Retention  and  well-­being  of  teachers  
 
Overview  and  rationale:    School  districts  invest  quite  a  bit  of  human  and  capital  resources  into  
new  teachers,  and  rightfully  so.    But  rarely  do  districts  make  the  same  sort  of  investment  to  
simply  “check  in”  with  teachers  that  have  been  tenured  for  quite  awhile  and  are  not  close  to  
retirement.    Teachers  in  these  years  have  become  adept  at  their  craft  but  are  still  constantly  
asked  to  change  the  way  they  do  things,  based  on  new  research  related  to  best  practice.    
Additionally,  life  has  changed  for  these  teachers.    Most  of  them  are  no  longer  newlyweds,  and  
have  children  that  are  school-­aged,  or  perhaps  growing  up  and  entering  college  or  beyond.    The  
point  is  the  stresses  that  veteran  teachers  are  under  are  also  worth  validating  with  some  
investment  on  the  part  of  the  district.  
 
Our  proposal  would  be  to  do  different  induction  exercises  throughout  a  school  year  with  this  
group.    We  would  recommend  the  following  exercises  to  take  place  roughly  on  a  monthly  basis.    
Most  of  this  program  would  anywhere  from  an  hour  to  a  half-­day.    We  would  propose  that  other  
induction  programs  for  different  groups  of  teachers  not  in  this  category  be  run  simultaneously  in  
different  buildings.    
 
Part  I    
 
Month:  September  
Topic:  Mindset  
Rationale:  Many  teachers  can  develop  a  “false  growth  mindset”  confusing  effort  with  mindset,  
when  really  their  actions  and  words  don’t  match  a  growth  mindset.    This  session  will  allow  
teachers  to  discover  their  “fixed  mindset  beliefs.”    
Who  will  present:  HR  director,  building  principals,  and  teachers  with  10-­20  years  experience.  
What  are  the  goals  for  this  program?  
Teachers  become  more  aware  of  their  fixed  beliefs  that  may  impact  their  classroom  culture  and  
the  children  in  their  classroom.    This  will  allow  teachers  to  begin  the  first  step  into  further  
developing  a  growth  mindset,  as  well  as  participating  in  reflection.      
 
●   Start  with  videos,  choose  what  you  would  like  to  watch.    After  watching,  group  
discussion  on  content  of  videos.      
●   https://www.mindsetkit.org/topics/about-­growth-­mindset  
https://ideas.classdojo.com/b/growth-­mindset  
●   These  will  help  lead  us  to  answer  the  question,  “What  is  mindset?”  
●   Jigsaw  the  three  articles  below  to  come  up  with  teams  of  teachers  to  develop  a  common  
understanding  and  direction  for  PD-­  Career  and  life  (all  aspects)  
●   Articles  on  teacher    
●   mindset  to  jigsaw:  

 
 https://www.edutopia.org/article/teachers-­need-­growth-­mindset-­christina-­gil  
https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/developing-­growth-­mindset-­teachers-­and-­staff  
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/09/23/carol-­dweck-­revisits-­the-­growth-­
mindset.html  
●   After  reviewing  articles,  chart  paper  will  be  posted  for  teachers  to  work  in  groups  to  
discuss  what  fixed  mindset  beliefs  they  discovered  that  they  had  because  of  our  
reflective  conversation.      
 
Month:  October  
Topic:  Mindset  continued  
Rationale:  Developing  a  growth  mindset  is  a  continual  effort.  This  session  will  reinforce  what  
was  taught  during  the  last  session  to  help  teachers  become  more  familiar  with  the  concept.    
Also,  October  is  generally  the  month  where  teachers  develop  professional  growth  plans  for  
evaluation.    Teachers  would  be  doing  this  during  this  month’s  PLC  time.  
Who  will  be  present:  HR  director,  building  principals,  and  teachers  with  10-­20  years  
experience.  
What  are  the  goals  for  this  program?  
Teachers  will  continue  to  develop  their  understanding  of  growth  mindset  and  how  it  applies  to  
their  practice.  During  this  meeting,  teachers  will  form  PLCs  around  subject  areas  they  would  like  
to  improve  in  by  setting  growth  mindset  goals.  These  goals  will  revolve  around  improving  their  
practice  so  they  can  be  more  effective  in  the  classroom.  They  will  discuss  ways  they  plan  on  
demonstrating  growth  mindset  and  how  they  will  record  their  actions  and  student  data.  PLCs  will  
meet  bimonthly  to  discuss  their  progress.  
●   Make  sure  to  have  artifacts  from  last  month  posted.    Start  with  article  review  of  “What  is  
Mindset”-­  Career  and  life  (all  aspects)  
●   A  discussion  will  be  led  to  come  up  with  a  common  definition  of  growth  mindset  and  to  
set  a  focused  goal  for  the  year  revolving  around  growth  mindset.  
 
Month:  November  
Topic:  What’s  here  to  stay?  
Rationale:    Ideas  come  and  go  in  education,  knowing  what  we  know  about  our  mindset,  
teachers  will  unveil  how  they  feel  about  these  trends,  eventually  allowing  them  to  narrow  down  
the  ideas  that  are  here  to  stay.  
Who  will  be  present:  Curriculum  Director,  HR  Director,  building  principals,  teachers  from  10-­20  
years  and  academic  coaches  
What  are  the  goals  for  this  program:  Begin  to  narrow  focus  on  what  is  truly  important.    This  
will  avoid  the  feeling  of  being  overwhelmed,  which  eventually  can  lead  to  burnout.  
 
●   Master  vs  still  improving  skill-­What  instructional  things  have  come  and  gone?  Identify  
what  is  here  to  stay  -­  Use  a  thinking  routine  where  we  compare  past/present  -­    “Here  
Now  /  There  Then”    
http://www.visiblethinkingpz.org/VisibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03e_Fa
irnessRoutines/HereNowThereThen/HereNow_Routine.html  
●   After  doing  this  routine  pull  out  what  has  stayed  

 
 ●   What  can  we  consistently  count  on  in  our  profession?  
 
Month:  December  
Topic:    Life  Work  Balance  
Rationale:    Life  has  changed  for  teachers  with  this  experience  level.      
Who  will  be  present:  HR  Director,  building  principals,  teachers  and  academic  coaches  with  10-­
20  years  experience,  building  counselors,  school  psychologists  
What  are  the  goals  for  this  program:  Focus  on  creating  the  most  mentally  healthy  teachers,  
this  can  lead  to  less  sick  days,  happier  teachers,  and  ultimately  an  impact  on  those  teachers’  
classrooms.    
 
●   Check  in  with  PLC  groups  on  their  progress  towards  growth  mindset  goals.  
●   Next,  do  some  relaxation  and  mindfulness  activities.    We’ll  be  starting  today’s  work  by  
doing  lots  of  individual  reflecting.    Meditations  could  include  prompting  teachers  to  think  
about  what  life  was  like  when  they  first  began  teaching.    Continue  on  with  what  life  was  
like  5-­10  years  ago,  at  the  halfway  point  of  where  they  are  now.    Finish  meditations  with  
silent  thought  about  what  life  is  like  now.  
●   Continue  by  giving  teachers  time  to  record.    Teachers  could  list  their  reflections  in  
bulleted  form  or  by  journaling.    Tech  devices  would  be  acceptable  to  use  as  well.  
●   Next,  teachers  will  share  in  small  groups  their  own  personal  journeys.  
●   Finish  by  having  each  group  share  out  what  the  trends  were.    Use  chart  paper  to  record.      
 
Month:  January  
Topic:  Are  you  burnt  out?      
Rationale:  It  is  okay  to  be  burnt  out,  but  it’s  not  okay  to  stay  in  that  state.    We  must  have  
teachers  identify  if  they  are  and  help  give  tools  to  get  them  out  of  the  state  of  burnout  or  to  avoid  
it  completely.  
Who  will  be  present:  HR  Director,  building  principals,  teachers  and  academic  coaches  with  10-­
20  years  experience,  building  counselors,  school  psychologists  
 
What  are  the  goals  for  this  program:  
●   How  is  burnout  different  than  stress?  What  are  the  sources  of  burnout?  Generate  ideas  
with  your  group  and  share  out.  After  sharing,  read  about  the  differences  from  Mind  Tools  
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/avoiding-­burnout.htm  
●   After  identifying  what  burnout  is,  ideas  on  how  to  combat  it  should  be  explored.  The  
following  article  from  Psychology  Today  provides  ideas:  
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/pressure-­proof/201306/7-­strategies-­prevent-­
burnout  
●   In  groups,  discuss  which  techniques  from  the  article  would  work  for  the  teaching  
profession  and  ways  they  could  be  implemented.  
●   Create  a  collaborative  list  of  ways  to  avoid  or  deal  with  burnout.    Choose  one  thing  to  try  
before  the  February  meeting.  
 
 

 
Month:  February    
Topic:  Mindfulness  techniques  and  focused  data  analysis    
Rationale:  Mindfulness  has  the  power  to  prevent  teacher  burnout  by  providing  them  space  to  
think,  be  present,  and  refocus  a  teacher’s  energy.  Additionally,  February  is  a  long,  difficult  
month  for  teachers.  Providing  them  this  training  and  support  now  will  give  them  ideas  on  how  to  
survive  until  Spring  Break.  This  is  also  the  bimonthly  PLC  check  in  to  discuss  progress  towards  
growth  mindset  goals.  
Who  will  be  present:  HR  Director,  building  principals,  teachers  from  10-­20  years  and  academic  
coaches,  building  counselors,  school  psychologists  
What  are  the  goals  for  this  program:  Retain  teachers,  keep  teachers  effective  
●   What  is  mindfulness  and  how  can  it  help  educators?  Reference  Mindfulness:  
How  School  Leaders  Can  Reduce  Stress  and  Thrive  on  the  Job  by  Dr  Caryn  
Wells  
●   Give  quiz  on  pg.  124    
●   Give  teachers  tools  and  techniques  to  become  more  mindful,  reference  
appendixes  in    Mindfulness:  How  School  Leaders  Can  Reduce  Stress  and  Thrive  
on  the  Job  
●   Analyze  data  collected  in  PLC  (Referenced  in  October)  
 
Month:  March  
Topic:  Looking  Forward  
Rationale:  Forward  momentum,  teachers  will  take  what  they  have  learned  and  apply  it  through  
reflection  
Who  will  be  present:  HR  Director,  building  principals,  teachers  and  academic  coaches  with  10-­
20  years  experience.  
 
What  are  the  goals  of  this  program:  We  have  examined  what  teaching  was  like  in  the  
beginning,  middle,  and  current  phase  of  our  careers.    We  have  also  examined  what  life  was  like  
in  those  stages  of  our  careers.    Today’s  focus  will  be  on  looking  forward.      
 
●   Start  with  mindfulness  activities.    Prompts  would  include  reflecting  on  exercises  done  
over  the  past  few  months.    They  would  lead  into  silent  reflection  of  goals  for  the  future.  
●   After  meditation,  give  teachers  time  to  journal.    Spend  about  half  an  hour  of  writing  time  
on  the  topic,  “What  do  you  want  your  life  outside  of  school  to  be  like  in  5  years?    In  10  
years?    When  you  retire?”    Ask  the  same  exact  questions  about  what  you  want  to  look  
like  as  a  teacher  during  those  time  frames.  
●   Small  group  share  out.    Have  each  group  come  up  with  common  themes  to  list  on  chart  
paper.    Make  sure  to  keep  these  artifacts.      
 
Month:  April  
Topic:  Daily/  professional  reflection  
Rationale:  Daily  reflection  is  incredibly  important  for  teachers  to  improve  their  practice  and  for  
balancing  work  and  life.  Unfortunately,  this  daily  reflection  is  the  first  thing  to  go  to  the  wayside  

 
for  teachers  as  things  become  intense.  This  session  will  help  participants  discover  new  ways  to  
participate  in  meaningful  self-­reflection.  
Who  will  be  present:  HR  Director,  principals,  teachers  and  academic  coaches  with  10-­20  years  
experience.  
What  are  the  goals  of  the  program:    Review  and  celebrate  PLC  growth  mindset  goals.  What  
was  the  journey  like  and  to  what  degree  was  it  successful?  What  did  you  learn  from  this  journey  
that  can  be  shared  with  colleagues  or  replicated?  Additionally,  what  are  other  ways  to  reflect  on  
your  profession  and  personal  life?  
 
●   Gather  in  PLC  groups  to  discuss  outcomes  of  growth  mindset  goals.  Take  time  to  
celebrate  your  successes  and  reflect  on  the  challenges  you  faced.  
●   Discuss  with  your  group  what  are  ways  this  journey  could  be  replicated  for  your  staff.  
What  obstacles  and  rewards  would  surface  if  growth  mindset  goals  were  used  in  your  
building  and  how  would  they  be  addressed?  
●   Share  with  the  cohort  what  things  came  out  of  your  conversation  with  your  PLC.  These  
comments  should  be  recorded  on  chart  paper.  
●   Next,  do  guided  meditations.    Reflect  on  work  done  thus  far.    Guide  participants  to  use  
this  work  to  silently  think  about  what  pieces  of  advice  would  you  give  yourself  if  you  
could  go  back  to  when  you  first  started?    When  you  had  been  teaching  for  five  years?  
●   Small  group  work  -­  generate  some  good  advice  to  give  to  teachers  in  the  above-­
mentioned  experience  groups.    This  might  take  the  form  of  elementary  and  secondary,  
or  it  might  not.  Small  groups  will  share  out.  
●   After  share  out,  agree  as  a  group  on  the  top  five  to  ten  things  to  tell  each  experience  
group.    Turn  these  into  a  video  to  be  shared  with  those  groups  of  teachers.      
●   Reflection-­  Impact  
https://www.thoughtco.com/importance-­of-­teacher-­reflection-­8322  
 
 
Month:  May  
Topic:  Reflection  -­  both  personal  reflection  and  reflection  of  the  program  
Rationale:  As  we  wind  the  year  down,  we  must  recognize  that  we  cannot  always  invest  this  
much  time  for  topics  that  were  covered  with  our  induction  program.    This  session  will  focus  on  
perceived  impact  of  the  overall  program  as  well  as  what  the  district  can  do  moving  forward  to  
support  these  teachers.    We  want  to  provide  teachers  a  time  to  practice  the  elements  focused  
on  this  year-­  growth  mindset,  mindful  meditation,  data  analysis,  and  reflection.  
Who  will  be  present:  HR  Director,  principals,    teachers  and  academic  coaches  with  10-­20  
years  experience.  
 
What  are  the  goals  of  the  program:  
 
●   This  session  will  start  with  mindfulness  meditation,  data  analysis,  and  reflection.  
●   This  session  will  survey  teachers  about  the  impact  of  the  program.    That  survey  would  
include  what  they  found  most  helpful  and  least  helpful.    It  would  also  ask  if  any  changes  
were  made  either  professionally  or  personally  because  of  this  program.      

 
 ●   We  could  conclude  with  a  whole  group  discussion  of  what  this  group  wants  to  see  the  
district  support  for  professional  and  personal  well-­being  of  its  staff.    This  might  include  
mindfulness  programs  after  school,  yoga,  fitness,  group  reflection  times,  etc.    It  might  
also  include  suggestions  of  areas  where  we  could  work  more  efficiently,  or  things  that  
might  be  able  to  be  taken  off  of  our  plates.      
●   Participants  will  create  one  new  goal  for  the  upcoming  school  year.  
 
 
Part  II-­  next  three  years  
Much  of  this  would  be  dictated  by  survey  results  and  small  group  work  generated  at  May’s  
meeting.    District  leadership  would  have  to  take  time  to  go  over  those  results  and  ideas  and  
decide  where  we  would  invest  more  district  time  (if  any)  and  where  we  would  offer  district-­
sponsored,  but  voluntary  opportunities.    For  example,  the  group  might  want  us  to  bring  in  a  
mindfulness  expert  once  a  month  after  school.    Or  it  might  suggest  we  open  gyms  once  a  week  
for  exercise  or  basketball  for  staff  members.    Or  it  might  suggest  monthly  meetings  simply  for  
the  purpose  of  reflection  times.      
 
Goals:  
Maintain  growth  mindset  
Maintain  mindfulness  practice  
Maintain  the  practice  of  continual  personal  and  professional  reflection  
 
Look  for  any  improvement  in  the  data.    Was  there  any?    Where  was  it?    Did  these  strategies  
help?  
   
   
Part  III-­  evaluation  of  program  by  Learning  Forward  standards  
Learning  Communities  -­  Teachers  with  10-­20  years  experience,  academic  coaches  will  also  
be  a  part  of  this.    The  first  year  -­  whole  group.    The    second  year  -­  cohorts  within  buildings  led  
by  building  principals.  Teachers  will  also  create  PLCs  around  growth  mindset  goals  to  help  
improve  instruction  in  an  area  of  their  choosing.  
 
Leadership  -­  While  this  program  will  be  led  by  the  HR  director,  building  principals  will  play  a  
major  a  part  in  the  leadership  capacity  of  this  program  
 
Resources  -­  Presenters  will  research,  gather  and  distribute  resources  for  the  cohort.  Cohort  
members  will  be  responsible  for  retaining  these  materials  throughout  the  program.  
 
Data  -­  Data  will  be  evaluated  in  the  second  year  to  see  what  is  working.    Data  will  be  provided  
throughout  the  first  year  to  justify  our  topics,  this  data  will  come  from  professional  articles.  
 
Learning  Designs  -­  The  nature  of  this  induction  plan  is  to  create  reflective  teachers  who  are  
open  to  growth  and  change  in  practice.  Each  meeting  is  interactive  
 

 
Implementation  -­  As  teachers  implement  the  practices  outlined  in  the  plan  the  shall  become  
more  present  and  open  to  a  growth  mindset  which  in  turn  increases  effectiveness  and  and  the  
students  benefit.    Feedback  is  embedded  in  the  5-­day  Growth  Mindset  and  will  be  shared  
individually  and  in  PLCs  to  move  implementation  forward.  
 
Outcomes  -­  As  teachers  gain  a  growth  mindset  and  refreshment  of  the  teaching  profession  as  
outlined  in  this  plan,  they  open  themselves  up  to  becoming  more  skilled  and  provided  a  growth  
mindset  and  best  practices  to  all  students.    Key  pieces  to  the  plan  include  collaboration  with  
other  teachers  who  are  in  the  same  boat.    
 
Resources:  
https://www.mindsetkit.org/growth-­mindset-­educator-­teams/growth-­mindset-­professional-­
development-­materials/5-­session-­professional-­learning-­cycle  -­  this  is  a  free  5  sesion  PD  on  
mindset