Program aimed at retaining new teachers
How do I get a parking permit? Do I have all of the supplies I need? Have I filled out all of these forms correctly? Where’s the closest restroom?
Sounds like questions from a student on the first day of school, right? Maybe so, but these were actually questions during a special in-service held recently for teachers new to the Warren County School System.
The meeting, held at Bridgestone’s Learning Center, started with a welcome from Director of Schools Dr. Jerry Hale. Then, during the first hour of the day, supervisors from various departments within the school system introduced themselves and shared information related to their particular areas of responsibility.
The remainder of the day was devoted to a research-based program, developed at Vanderbilt University, called COMP (Classroom Organization and Management Program). According to the Web site www.comp.org, ‘COMP is a professional development program that helps to create and manage an effective learning environment in the classroom. It is based on studies conducted over the past 20 years that identified principles and techniques effective teachers use to create more smoothly running classrooms with higher student engagement, lower incidents of misbehavior, and higher academic achievement.’
Dana Mullican, WCHS English teacher, was selected last spring as Warren County School System’s COMP presenter and attended a week-long training institute conducted by the state Department of Education this summer. Mrs. Mullican presented three of the eight ‘modules’ of the COMP program during this first day of training for new teachers. The modules presented included ‘organizing the classroom,’ ‘planning and teaching rules and procedures,’ and ‘getting the year off to a good start.’
Opportunities for discussion, expression of concerns and questions, and sharing of ideas were provided as a part of the day’s activities. Responses to the training were very positive. Teachers expressed having more confidence in their plans for the first day of school.
School system officials are working to be sure and offer the support and guidance needed by teachers just beginning their careers. Administrators in each school assign an experienced mentor to each new teacher at the school. Two additional days have been scheduled this year to complete the other COMP modules, along with two other days for training in use of technology in the classroom and research-based instructional strategies.
We invite parents and community members to get to know the new teachers at your child’s school and help us welcome them to our system and our community.