Are you really prepared for your first year of teaching?

Talking to many teachers, the idea of being fully prepared for the first year of teaching is nonexistent. In my first year of teaching I certainly did not feel prepared, but did not know how unprepared I was until half way through the year. Currently, I am a second year high school teacher at a charter school in Boston by day and a graduate student pursuing a Master’s in Education, Curriculum and Teaching, by night. Realizing how unprepared I was in my first year made me realize the importance of pursuing a masters, to make me a better teacher, and my students better mathematicians.

Unfortunately, few issues in education threaten the nation as seriously as the present and growing shortage of teachers, with teacher attrition rates at their highest (Zhang & Zeller 2016). The preservice preparation a teacher receives impacts the retention rates of teachers, especially in their first years of teaching. Before entering the classroom a teacher can pursue; traditional preparation through a bachelors or master’s degree that includes student teaching, an alternative certification program (Teach for America); or transitioning from a profession into the classroom (lateral entry). Studies show that that the less preparation a teacher had before entering the classroom results in higher attrition rates in the first years of teaching, with the least prepared teachers experiencing attrition rates of 40% in the first year (Zhang & Zeller 2016). For first year teachers, practicing teaching was a significant predictor of retention in teaching with just one week of practice increasing the odds of staying into their second year by 4% (Ronfeldt, 2014).

Going forward, policy makers should invest more funds into strengthening the teacher preparation program including alternative and traditional routes. When hiring teachers it is crucial to consider their background experiences in preparation to teaching. This consideration will determine how to best support teachers in their first year given their preparation. In acknowledging the gaps the least prepared teachers will have maybe we can stop 65% of lateral entry teachers and 33% of alternatively certified teachers from leaving the classroom (Zhang & Zeller, 2016). For good.

Though first year teachers may never really be prepared for what they are about to face, stronger and more preparation for preservice teachers can ease the shock of leading a classroom for the first time, and support the sustainability that keeps teachers teaching. As a second year Corps member in Teach for America, I know I was not as prepared as I could have been entering my first year. I hope the skills I am practicing in my Master’s course can make up for lost time. Or is it too late?

References

Ronfeldt, M. (2014). Does pre-service preparation matter? Examining an old question in new ways. Teachers College Record, 116(10).1-46.

Zhang, G., Zeller, N. (2016). A longitudinal investigation of the relationship between teacher preparation and teacher retention. Teacher Education Quarterly, 43(2), 73-92.