Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/649572
Katy Rees 29, grades 2-3 teacher, Rolling Hills Elementary School Fairfield-Suisun Unified Teachers Association "Many districts were not hiring for years because of the economy," Katy Rees says. "Now there are jobs and millennials are getting hired, but there is a huge disconnect between veterans and new teachers. At my school there are only two teachers in their 30s and 40s. There are mostly teachers in their 20s and 50s. There's no one to bridge the gap." Rees describes fellow millennials as "blank slates" eager to learn and utilize technology, while older teachers may have a hard time letting go of the old curriculum. Sometimes, she says, millennials' eagerness and "go-go spirit" gets on the nerves of staff. She says younger teachers could benefit from some mentoring, but she thinks vet- eran teachers are so overwhelmed with figuring out the Common Core that they don't have time to mentor new teachers properly. It's not their fault, says Rees, but at times she feels unsupported. WHAT MILLENNIALS NEED FROM VETERAN TEACHERS… is support and sharing knowl- edge with us. Veteran teachers are so experienced and wonderful at what they do. They need to pass that on to us. I know everyone is overwhelmed, but we need their help. Younger teachers might understand new technology, but we need help in other areas. Sometimes we're scared — we have so much to learn. Be patient with us. WHAT MILLENNIALS WOULD LIKE… is to share what we know with veteran teachers. It's to everyone's benefit to learn from each other. We should all be working together. We should all be observing each other in the classroom and collaborating. WHAT CTA CAN DO TO HELP MILLENNIALS… is reach out to us so we can take more pride in the profession and be more aware of important issues that surround public education. 22 cta.org