Clinical Field Experience B: Improving New Teacher Induction Strategies

Benefit of Induction Plan

Induction plans benefit new teachers, mentor teachers, principals, and students. New

teachers get “improved knowledge and classroom performance”, the mentor teachers get

“renewed commitment to their own teaching and learning”, administrators get a “decrease in

student discipline problems”, and the students get “more equitable distribution of learning

opportunities” [CITATION Ass \p 1 \l 1033 ]. I have a meeting with Mr. Wallace, the principal, next

week to talk about what I learned from this interview. Mr. Woller helped me realize how

important an induction for new teachers is.

Teacher Induction Plan Interview

I interviewed the new PE Teacher at North Ward. He works for my principal mentor. He

told me he doesn’t remember getting a tour of the school or anything like that other than when

Mr. Plotner, a second-grade teacher, showed him around one day in the summer. Mr. Woller

asked for the keys to the school and started preparing things in the equipment room and his

office. He asked a lot of questions to either other teachers or Principal Wallace for help which he

thought was great. He thinks it was during week 1 when they had an all new staff meeting to go

over the contract and expectations. The first couple of weeks were difficult because there was a

lot of new information that didn't make sense to him until after he asked staff members.

He set up his office and organized the equipment room all himself once he was hired.

There wasn't really any guidance on what he should do for certain things. He did not mind this,

because he got to do things how he wanted.

Clinical Field Experience B 1

 He thought he was pretty well prepared for the first day. He was sent documents

everyday about things like the schedule, COVID guidelines, and non-contact games he could

play. He had people help set up Teacherease for him so he could access rosters for grading. 

Mr. Woller knew before starting that this was a good town with good people, so he had a

good sense his classes would be well behaved. He had some help deciding to put down tape on

the gym floor to help with bus lines and lining up to go outside for PE. He asked different people

about grades, because he was completely new to this and wasn't sure how he should go about it. 

He understood the school culture, mission, and vision, because during the hiring process

he learned more about the town and school and both are a lot like where he grew up. He said

people care a lot about the students and want the kids to become confident, successful, and

respectful adults for the future. 

He had multiple staff members reach out to him and he thought that was really nice. They

helped him and answered a lot of questions. He would have preferred to have met teachers prior

to starting, but over time, teachers would introduce themselves as they dropped their classes off

for PE or he saw them walking around. 

Mr. Woller liked that he was given a lot of documents and emails about things in the

beginning which really helped him. He liked that the school introduced him on social media, so

parents and staff members knew who he was. He liked that he was able to get keys early and start

setting up his office and equipment room so he knew what equipment he had to work with.

One thing he thought could have been better about the email and documents were more

explanation, because a lot of it didn't make sense since he was new. He thinks there could have

been more guidance from administration to check on things like rosters, schedules, and lessons.

They should have made sure things were going smoothly and he knew what he was doing and if

Clinical Field Experience B 2

he was doing it correctly. He felt like he was the last one to find out and what things meant. He

received invites to meetings he was not sure if he needed to attend.

He didn't know how to put grades in or work in Teacherease until after the staff helped

him figure it out after school had started. He would have appreciated someone helping him set up

his computer and phone in his office. He believes that would have been a big help, because he

didn't have the internet set up correctly.

New Knowledge and Two More Questions

I asked Mr. Woller if he would have benefitted from having a mentor. He told me he

thinks having a mentor to help guide him the first quarter would have been a huge help, even if

they weren't a PE teacher. He did have multiple staff members help him often. 

I wondered if he had learned about students with special needs before he started. He told

me he had learned everything he needed to know about the students, so he was ready to teach the

first day. He felt like he was scrambling most days, but he feels like that was just because he was

new (N. Woller, interview, November 20, 2020).

PSEL Standards 6 and 7 and Implications for Future Practice

After talking to Mr. Woller, I felt bad that he did not feel supported. Administrators

should “promote the personal and professional health, well-being, and work-life balance of

faculty and staff” [CITATION Pro15 \p 14 \l 1033 ]. Mr. Wallace, the principal, does “develop and

support open, productive, caring, and trusting working relationships among leaders, faculty, and

staff to promote professional capacity and the improvement of practice” [CITATION Pro15 \p 15 \l

1033 ]. I am sure this year he has relied on his teachers to help support Mr. Woller, because of

how upside-down this year has been. I will talk to Mr. Wallace about how Mr. Woller felt, so he

can help keep another teacher from feeling this way. I will have mentors for my new teachers. I

Clinical Field Experience B 3

will also have an information day that will allow the teachers to have a tour of the building, a

training on the data management software, and a lunch with their mentors, so they can meet and

get to know them. This was a great assignment. I realize how important it is to have an induction

plan for new teachers.

Clinical Field Experience B 4

 References

(n.d.). Retrieved from Assist Beginning Teachers:

http://assist.educ.msu.edu/ASSIST/school/together/indessay4bnfts.doc

Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. (2015). Retrieved from National Board Policy

Board for Educational Administration: http://www.npbea.org/wp-

content/uploads/2017/06/Professional-Standards-for-Educational-Leaders_2015.pdf

Clinical Field Experience B 5