An Induction Program for Occasional Teachers (Professional Services)

The path to a permanent teaching job often winds through the challenges of occasional teaching. Statistics show that most new teachers start as occasional teachers, and that many remain on an OT list for up to three years before acquiring their first permanent contract.1

That’s a long time and a lot of days of teach- ing without the benefit of the supports that new contract teachers get as part of the New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP).

Currently, only beginning teachers hired to a permanent contract are included in the Ministry of  Education-funded program, which in effect excludes the majority of new teachers.2

A new pilot project aims to demonstrate that occasional teachers can and should be included in the NTIP. Its  goal is to parallel, as much as possible,  the  induction  supports  provided  to permanent  teachers.  The  project  is  the  result of a partnership of ETFO, the Hamilton-Wentworth  Elementary  Occasional  Teacher  Local, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB), and the Ministry of Education.

It provides beginning teachers with orientation,  mentoring  by  experienced  teachers,  and professional development. The project is focusing on Intermediate division teachers because most beginning OTs feel least  comfortable accepting assignments in those grades.

“We know that supporting new teachers results in a higher level of competence and confidence,” says Carol Scaini,  principal of mentorship and leadership for the HWDSB. “We need to recognize that occasional teachers, as all new teachers, need to be given the conditions to succeed.”

The program begins with a full-day orientation session that provides new OTs with  information about their local union and the board. During the school year, each new teacher meets with an experienced mentor on prearranged OT assignments. At its first meeting the team sets goals and creates a plan for the year. The partners decide together how to use their mentoring time.

New OTs take part in two professional development days that focus on classroom management, which is a key issue for these teachers. They attend sessions on resume writing, ESL and equity, interview skills, daily physical activity (DPA), special needs students, and accepting an FSL OT assignment when you can’t speak French.

Everyone benefits

There are many benefits for those involved in this project. Unlike many occasional teachers, these new teachers feel connected to their board, having received orientation and PD from board personnel. (They also have a board email address.) They feel strongly that the support they receive from  their mentor  is invaluable. Mentors also benefit from the relationship (see sidebar).

This project is already having an impact  outside of Hamilton-Wentworth. Other occasional teacher local presidents are keen to put something in place for their members. “We are looking to the Hamilton-Wentworth pilot project and to the ministry for ideas and funding,” says Terry Card, president of the Thames Valley OT Local. Diane Dewing, president of the Upper Canada OT Local adds that “the only way to ensure that no student gets left behind is to first ensure that no teacher is.”

Rian McLaughlin, president of the Hamilton- Wentworth OT Local, lobbied to get the pilot underway in her local. “This project has created respect  for  the  essential work  that  occasional teachers do and for their professionalism,” she says. “All new teachers deserve this level of support – it can only serve students well.”

Notes

1  Ontario College of Teachers, “Transition to Teaching, 2006.”

2  Ministry of Education, “New Teacher Induction Program: Induction Elements,2006.”

Practical advice pays off

For  an  occasional  teacher  every  day  is  like  the  first  day  of  school  in September. “You have to prove yourself every day,,” says Stephen South, a recent graduate and new occasional teacher. Knowing  how to meet the challenges of a new class in an unfamiliar school is key to an occasional teacher’s success. His colleague Donald Doyle notes that being alone with a class is not something  students  experience  during  practice  teaching. “You  are  in  the experienced teacher’s classroom and the teacher is there, so the kids aren’t acting out, aren’t testing you. It’s an artificial situation..” Both new teachers count themselves lucky to be paired with mentors who can provide concrete advice about how to cope. Doyle’s mentor is long-time ETFO activist Doug Van Duzen. South’s mentor is Shirley Froman. Both are experienced teachers who after their retirement have joined the ranks of OTs. “Sharing  what  we  know  is  part  of  the  collegiality  of  being  a  teacher,,” Froman says. “It’s a chance to do formally what we did informally before..” Both mentors say that classroom management is the single most important skill for an occasional teacher and that there are specific strategies they can  learn  –  things  like  knowing  how  to  ask  a  question,  getting  students involved in routines, and judging the classroom’s emotional tone. “ I used to think I had to handle everything myself, and in a busy classroom I’d feel swamped,,” Doyle says. “Now I can  handle the pace and feel more in control..” South admits that he used to feel he had to teach everything in the plan left for him. “Now I see that it’s more important to make sure students get it. I can change the plan if I see things aren’t working..” It’s a level of confidence that students respond to. “Students can tell how a teacher feels, they can assess weakness pretty quickly,” Van Duzen says. After years in the classroom both mentors find that they are also learning new skills. “Older teachers learn about curriculum, what certain terms mean. New teachers learn about classroom management,” says Froman. Van Duzen notes that observing Doyle “makes me aware of areas in which I can improve. I watch Donald, see his expertise, and it is making me a better teacher after all these years..” All four teachers have experienced the difficulties OTs face when walking into a new school. “It can be lonely and isolating being an OT in some schools,,” South says. “It’s important to find out where things are and introduce yourself to the other staff..”

“Building relationships from the first moment you are in a school is critical,” Van Duzen says. “Greeting students at the beginning of the day, connecting with them even if they’re not in your class, can make a huge difference..”

He was somewhat taken aback to find that as an OT in some schools he doesn’t garner the same respect he once did. “Teachers and principals need to see OTs as professionals,” he says, “and treat them the same way as they do permanent staff…”