​HOW TO: HAVE A SUCCESSFUL CURRICULUM MEETING12/4/2017
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​Our first day back from Thanksgiving break and I had a sub. No, I wasn’t sick, I was at a curriculum meeting. It’s at this point must of us are rolling our eyes and thinking, was that really necessary? Could we have met for an hour or just used email and Google Apps to communicate? I’m right there with you. I hate missing a school day unless I can be sure that what I have learned or accomplished will positively and directly impact students.last Monday was one of those days and I think there were some really important components necessary for any department who wants to have quality curriculum that result in tangible accomplishments.​​


Have a clear goal.
We were trying to find a better way to place kids in the correct class as freshmen. We had way too many students who were moving to a lower track and a few moving to a higher track of math during the first semester of school. When almost 20% of your freshmen class are changing tracks, something is wrong with the placement method. We all knew that it was an issue and needed to find a better way to help transition students into the correct high school math course.
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Include all the key players AND be sure they have a voice.
​How many of us have been given notes from a meeting we weren’t present for containing some sort of directive or decision that directly impacted us?  I’m sure there are some out there that are totally fine with this but I’d argue that making real change means all parties involved in implementing the change need to be present and in agreement about the changes made. How can we be 100% clear and in agreement, ready to implement or enforce something when we weren’t there?
This particular curriculum meeting was great because all of the freshmen math teachers were there as well as the 8th grade math teachers from each feeder middle school. Even better, we were trusted to get the goal accomplished, which brings me to the next point-​​
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Remember, it isn't an admin meeting. 
I have nothing against administrators. I would love to be an administrator one day! In fact, great administrators helped this meeting happen! Most would admit however that admin meetings have a reputation for being a lot of talk and jumping through the hoops states put on public schools. This meeting wasn't like that. We started by talking about how each of us grade and what students need to know before they enter our classes in order to be successful. We used Google docs and collaborated. There was one goal and that was to understand the expectations for enterering high school math classes and to create a placement test and criteria for placing students correctly. We had an entire day to complete the task and our administrators simply poked their head in every now and then to see if we needed anything. We weren't given additional tasks. No one walked in and said they would have to check with another higher up before we'd have an official answer. We had the autonomy to make final decisions and simply report back how the day went!
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Give mutual respect and desire open communication.
During the first hour of the meeting, we were trying to sort out how best to spend the day and accomplish the goal. We began to discuss the gaps we were seeing at the high school. Kids didn't know the difference between slope and plotting an ordered pair or they were lacking number sense, etc.  It would have been really easy for for the 8th grade teachers to take it personally and shut down but they didn't. We were not attacking them and they trusted that. We knew they had pressure to teach the standards and push kids the same way that we did and we were determined to respect and work together to do what was best for our students. 
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Make decisions with kids in mind.
Again, near the beginning of the morning we were talking about the standards assigned to each of our courses and the amount of pressure we felt to speed through it in order to "cover" everything. I know we are not alone in this feeling and the fact that none of the schools were accountable to each other by being in the same district could have made the conversation worse. Instead, we were able to communicate respectfully and come to the conclusion that we were professionals who could take responsibility for specific standards and be accountable to each other. We didn't work in the same town or within the same district but we served the same kids. In the end, what was best for them was for us to trust that the person coming next would do what they said they would do. For example, I will teach students how to solve multi-step equations. The 8th grade teachers who have the students who will enter my track would then be sure that the students have become masters of solving one step equations and using the order of operations. Rather than pushing those kids through solving different equations, they would leave that to me and spend the time being sure they had the prerequisite skills mastered. No more rushing kids through standards. They need to become masters of the material and that doesn't happen by reviewing fractions for one week every year. As hard as it is to make these decisions, they have to be made because it is what is best for kids. 


Communication doesn't end after the meeting does.
Finally, one of the most important steps to a curriculum meeting is that the discussion that began does not end. After completing our goal for the day and creating a placement test that we agreed on, we discussed what we needed to do as a follow up. 
When would it be given? How would students review? How would it be graded consistently across three different middle schools? How will they be sure their prerequisite standards would be mastered before students got to 8th grade?
We set a date to meet again after the test would be given so that we could grade it all together and agree. The 8th grade teachers said they planned on speaking with the lower grades to have similar meetings about mastering standards. 
The key here is that it wasn't over. We didn't pat ourselves on the back and move on. We gave each other high fives for the day and planned to meet again and email in between meetings. 
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WHY DO WE EVEN NEED A CURRICULUM MEETING?Curriculum is the plan for what we will teach kids. If we don't discuss it and work to make it the very best it can be, what are we doing? We owe it to our profession and to our students and community to talk to each other. We need to be willing to have the hard conversations about what we are doing and whether or not it is the best for our students. We may feel like we have kids all the time but in reality, that 45 minutes that I see students 5 times a week and 9 months of the year flies by.  
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BUILDING FUNDAMENTALS: BEING A GREAT MENTOR8/28/2017
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Teaching is a hard profession to enter. No one can deny that. Teachers tend to have a burn out rate of 5 years. One of the best ways to help get past this is having a support system in your school. This usually starts with a mentor in the building. Most districts have a new teacher program that pairs new teachers with a mentor in their building. This mentor is the first line of defense and support for a new teacher and is an incredibility important relationship. 

The quality of the mentors used in a school seem to have a direct relationship to new teachers staying in the profession and staying in that specific district. 

What makes a good mentor? What qualities do mentors need to have to be what they need to be for new teachers?

1. Positive - Being positive can really help a new teacher feel welcome and help them get past the rough spots that can happen during a school year. Negativity is a killer in our profession. When a teacher gets to that negative point, they can be poison to a new teacher. This doesn’t mean that a mentor shouldn’t address and recognize problems, but work on a way to solve them in a constructive way without negativity.
   
   
2. Open - It is also good for the mentor to be a person that is very open. They share with their new teacher all of the parts of the job. Everything they need to know whether it is good or bad, new teachers need to know it so they can prepare a plan to deal with it. A mentor should have an open door policy in their classroom for the new teacher. Observing other teachers is a great way to learn and the mentor needs to open to discussing what they are doing. Being able to share what is working well and what is not working, can be a good learning tool for new teachers. 
   
   
3. Inclusive - Isolation is hard to deal with and even though a teacher is in their own room most of the time, doesn’t mean they want to feel isolated in their building. Having a mentor that invites them to school functions and functions outside of the building will help that new teacher feel connected to the school and community. That can go a long way in retaining teachers. 
   
   
4. A Coach - The mentor has to be able to acknowledge when a new teacher has a classroom challenge and being willing and able to address that challenge with the new teacher. This takes many observations, discussions, and strategies with the new teacher. A new teacher is never going to get better if they don’t work on their skills. 
   
   
5. A Listener/Sounding Board - New teachers need someone who will really listen to them and not judge them. Someone they can talk to about ideas, celebrations, challenges, and life in general without judgement but support and guidance. It is important for you to ask questions to get new teachers to be reflective about their practice. New teachers will also need you to keep them informed on school policies and practices. They will not know the ins and outs of the building. They might not even know what to ask, so they will need their mentor to give them a heads up. 
   
   
6. Long-term - Being a mentor is a multi-year job. New teachers are not going to be suddenly a master after one year and will need guidance for the first few years. You could say that a teacher always needs a mentor no matter how many years they have teaching. 

Our profession is very important and we should do all we can to keep quality new teachers in the profession. Having a mentor with these qualities can go a long way to helping a new teacher grow and feel welcome in their school.  ​

   So you’re a new teacher! You may be brand new to the career or maybe you’re just new to the building. Either way, you will most likely be assigned a mentor to help you settle in and learn what you need to about the school and the culture. 
My advice to you in getting the most out of your mentor is to ask questions! Ask them all! They are there to help you adjust and answer questions. 

For brand new teachers specifically, you may have a million questions but these are the ones I suggest you ask early!

1. What do you do for classroom management?
2. What do I need to have prepared for open house or parent teacher conferences?
3. What is the first day of school like? Are there any changes to the schedule?
4. What kind of classroom procedures do you have?
5. How do you build relationships with students?

For all teachers new to a building, you’ll want the answer to these questions!

1. Where do I need to go to get copies?
2. Where do I go to pick up or send mail?
3. How often will I be evaluated and what does that look like?
4. What are the procedures for when I have to be absent?
5. Do I need to submit formal lesson plans to someone at any point?
6. What type of communication with parents is expected?
7. What technology and other resources do I have available for use?
8. Who do I go to if I have a question about technology?
9. What behavior constitutes a detention or trip to the office? (What are classroom behavior expectations as a building)
10. What is the dress code? (both for you and for students)
11. Who do I talk to about additional ways to get involved i.e. coaching, clubs?
12. Do you allow teachers to use public social media accounts?
13. What kind of professional development is offered in the building? What is focus for your building or district?
14. What are the rules on room decor? Can I paint my room?
15. What are the safety procedures? Tornado, fire, intruder, etc.

These questions are not all encompassing. You will continue to have questions. Keep asking them! Other than those specific questions we suggest you:

1. Meet with your mentor at least once a week, even if it’s just a walk past their room during a passing period or special and letting them know how your week is going. Reflection is key to improving yourself as a teacher and having a conversation with your mentor about what is going on in class will help you process!
2. Go see them after a particularly good or bad day. If they’ve been chosen as a mentor, they probably are experienced and generally positive about their jobs. Celebrate with them in the good and lean on them when it’s bad.
3. Observe your mentor often and have them observe you often. Observing other teachers and discussing what you see with them is a great way to learn.
4. If your mentor is not giving you what you need, seek out someone else who can. This can be hard when you don’t know anyone, but keep an eye out for positive teachers. They will most likely reach out to you, but don’t be afraid to approach people in your building to help you.
5. Seek out a community. Inside or outside of school, you need more people to bounce ideas, victories, and failures off of. Finding some more people will help you get the most out of your first year as well as your mentor. The more you can reflect and improve, the better your year will be!

   We hope you have a terrific first year teaching or first year at your new building! It can be a roller coaster but having a mentor and truly using them can make even the roughest of years a great experience in the end! Stay strong! Let us know how the years goes and any other advice you have about getting the most out of your mentor!

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