Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/649572
Chapter Takes On New Teacher Orientation At CTA's Summer Institute in 2014, Angela Der Ramos, an educator and Beginning Teacher Sup- port and Assessment mentor in the Salinas area, approached CTA with an idea to support new teach- ers in Alisal Union School District. "The professional development that was occur- ring at the district was not really meeting the needs of new teachers coming in," says George Lopez, president of the Alisal Teachers Association (ATA). "It was very much 'Sit down and someone lectures.' We wanted to make it interactive, with real practices that teachers could use on topics such as class man- agement, technology, curriculum — all the different elements of what a new teacher might need." With CTA's backing, Der Ramos, Lopez, and ATA members Ben Cogswell and Edi Porter asked the dis- trict if ATA could take over one day of the mandatory three-day new teacher institute, offered at the begin- ning of the school year. Lopez says their proposal was so well received that the district "let us have all three days." It took a year of planning and organizing. They formed T3, which stands for Teachers Teaching Teachers (see logo above). They recruited veteran teachers and relatively new teachers from the district who knew the needs of beginning teachers (and teachers new to the district). "It was a real collaborative effort between the union and the district," Lopez says. The district provided the facility, food, equipment and materials, and paid for presenters and planning time. "The program was very successful and benefi- cial," says Lopez, who notes that a good number of the participants were millennials. "It went beyond those days. New teachers were partnered with vets at each site, who met them and showed them around school, like a mentor. They were taken out to lunch by teachers at each site. We got great feedback. All the 50-plus teachers who were newly hired became members." ATA, now 385 members strong, has since created a Facebook page that focuses on new teacher issues, called "The other side of the chalkboard." It plans to expand professional development for all teachers in 2016-17. Michelle Pereira 29, algebra teacher, Tracy High School, Tracy Education Association "I'm Kind of a Big Deal," proclaims Michelle Pereira's T-shirt. As a matter of fact, Pereira is a big deal. The shirt is one way of letting her elders know that she may be young but she matters — even though she admits she's still "wet behind the ears" and oen mistaken for a teenager. In true millennial fashion, she is saddled with college debt, living with her parents, and trying to save money. Teaching isn't the fastest way to financial security, but she loves her job and she's not in it for the money. Things were easier for previous generations when it came to fulfilling the American Dream, she observes. She considers herself "personable" but admits she would rather text than talk on the telephone. She saves most of her talking for students and texts when communicating with parents. Her father doesn't under- stand that it saves time in the long run, she says. Older teachers find Pereira a valuable resource when it comes to integrating technology with the Common Core. Some are a bit flum- moxed with the transition. She, on the other hand, was taught to teach that way, isn't scared one bit, and is happy to help when asked. "Just because we're young doesn't mean we don't know anything. We have a lot to learn, but we also have a lot to contribute." SOME PEOPLE THINK MILLENNIALS ARE… entitled, but we're not. They don't understand that we worked our butts off to go to college and get a degree. I think the "entitled" label comes more from expecting a job right out of college in the field that we studied. It is something that we were promised before the recession, but it isn't that easy anymore. At this point we just want a job so that we can survive and pay off our debt. WHAT MILLENNIALS HAVE TO OFFER IS… a fresh perspective. We are closely linked with the generation we are teaching. We can relate to our students and we know where they are coming from. WHAT MILLENNIALS REALLY WANT… is respect and appreciation. We are the future. The older generation is going to have to turn things over to us at some point. They should start including us now so we know what to do. 23 March 2016