Please offer your comments regarding Lynn's view of the phases teachers pass through in their career cycle. Consider the following questions as you comment. Also consider commenting on your colleagues' comments.
1. Can you think of any other environments in addition to personal and organizational that could afect a teacher's career cycle?
2. Offer actions that school administrators might take to develop and/or maintain nurturing environments for teachers.
3.How might the awareness of the teacher career cycle help you?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
I agree with Lynn that both personal and organizational environments are factors that play a roll in teachers' attitudes about their jobs. I also think that the environment of the community where one teaches plays a role. For example, in the town where I teach, most parents and community members are very involved with the school. It seems as though everyone knows that I teach in town and most people are very supportive. People are always asking me how school is going.
It was interesting reading about the eight stages of teaching. I feel as though I am entering the competency building stage. It is interesting to read about what is most likely in my future. I hope that I dont enter the frustration stage but it helps to know that it is common. That way if I do get frustrated with my career, I will feel confident that I will either get through it or that it is okay to decide to make a career change.
I think it is crucial for administrators to provide inservice and professional growth for all staff members. I also agree that a preservice teacher has different professional development needs than a teacher who is in the later stages. I think too often, all teachers are asked to partake in a package deal when it comes to inservice trainings and professional development. When that happens, it seems as though frustration is always present. Either the induction teachers are frustrated or the veteran teachers are.
I look forward to reading what people who are in different stages than myself think about the article.
Kelly Anderson
Attracting highly qualified and talented teachers is a concern for most school districts, especially for schools who are struggling with budgets. I agree with Ms. Lynn that excellent teachers are indeed a key component for educational excellence. Therefore, administrators are challenged to work with faculty and community to develop a positive school climate that attracts and retains great teachers. That includes providing the professional and personal resources and the encouragement teachers need grow and develop professionally. One way that Ms. Lynn suggests administrators do that is to gain better insight into the career cycle of the teacher.
I would agree with Ms. Lynn that movement through the career cycle “is not in a lock-step, linear fashion, but in a dynamic manner reflecting responses to personal and organizational environmental factors.” As in any life cycle, positive environmental influences will stimulate growth and development. The converse is also true; too many negative influences will inhibit or stop growth. Understanding what teachers need as they grow and develop during each stage is key to understanding the types of resources they need for professional growth. I agree with Kelly...one size doesn't always fit all.
Ms. Lynn mentions both personal and organizational influences on the career cycle of teachers. Others factors that might also influence the cycle include the political and physical environments. While NCLB might also be listed under regulations and the organizational environment, each year teachers and administrators watch what happens in Washington and Montpelier to see how it will impact the educational system. Whether they are educational laws or those that might deal with income tax changes, or even building codes, they can impact school budgets and teacher benefits.
The physical environment might include the physical space we are given to do our jobs. It can also have a positive or negative effect on teachers. Several years ago I remember visiting a school that had no running water on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sometimes it’s those types of conditions that might just be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back. Safety concerns in the past few years have also had an impact. While most members of our community really appreciate the steps we have taken to keep students and staff safe, many other communities have not been as fortunate. Some administrators and community members feel locks on the doors send a message to the community to keep out. Good administrators and teachers work hard to develop good community relationships and build the public’s trust. I agree with Kelly that we work in a great community where the school and teachers are supported in a variety of ways.
A wise administrator will offer as many positive influences as in his or her power in order to nurture and mentor the teaching staff. These include professional development opportunities that are relevant and timely for the staff as well as support systems such as mentoring initiatives. There will also be time provided for teachers to work collaboratively together. This offers teachers time to build professional relationships where they can share concerns and celebrate successes in their practice. Good administrators will also be aware of the various influences that impact their teachers’ personal and professional lives (such as where they currently reside on the career cycle) and be sensitive to those needs. Building a collaborative and collegial school climate takes time and hard work. Making sure that teachers are supported with the time and tools they need to be successful can pay huge dividends. Some of my favorite times each year are the luncheons provided by the administration and board. These luncheons are usually held at least twice a year and we all get together to celebrate successes and socialize together.
As I read the article, trying to determine where I would place myself on the cycle today, I was reminded of the Harry Chapin song “All My Life’s a Circle”.
“No straight lines make up my life;
And all my roads have bends;
There's no clear-cut beginnings;
And so far no dead-ends.”
I find myself described in several of the stages and like the author states movement is not always linear. Starting my Masters after a 25 year hiatus might qualify me for pre-service status while starting a new position as data specialists lands me in the induction stage. Throughout my career in the school I have been through just about every stage, including several days or so with the career frustration. Reading the article, I found myself remembering some of the issues that I struggled with, and thinking about ways that we could help teachers continue to progress as professionals- so that they can spend most of their career in the enthusiasm and growth stage. Having an administrator that can understand sources of career frustration or burn-out and work to keep them at a minimum is crucial to the success of teacher development.
One of the ways I hope to apply the reading is to remember that teachers have multiple influences on their personal and professional lives and their actions are often in response to those factors. That means we have to be sensitive to and supportive of each other as people and professionals. We cannot know all the influences that might be affecting a coworker. It will also help me as part of the Action Planning Team to make sure we offer the types of professional development opportunities teachers want and need in each of the stages of their career.
I enjoyed reading “The Winding Path” and liked the fact that it lays out the career cycle of teachers in a flexible fashion. It was interesting to read what stages teachers go through in their career. I also agree that your personal and organizational environments both play a role in what stage you are in. I would add “relocation” into the personal environment category. I could consider myself in between the preservice and induction stages. Recently having relocated myself, I understand how those two could be interchangeable at this point in my career. I moved here from another state over a year ago where I had a teaching job and since the move have yet to find another teaching position. I’m working as a paraeducator now and feel as if I am going through my preservice stage again.
I could relate to the story about the first year teacher, Sarah, and how she implemented a discipline strategy that was recommended by her colleagues. It’s tough for new teachers to know what works and what doesn’t and it is easy to just do what everyone else does. I don’t necessarily see that as wrong because you end up finding out for yourself what works best for you as an educator.
As I stated above, I like how these stages are not seen as linear and static. I agree with the authors point of view on administrators providing inservice and professional growth opportunities to teachers in each phase of the cycle. Ms. Lynn mentioned induction year teachers should be provided an individualized program. I automatically thought of mentoring programs and how they are different from district to district. I like how the district I am in now gives you a mentor for your first few years and every year has a different goal set for that new teacher. That is important for the growth of a teacher in the induction stage.
I agree with what Ceil said about being sensitive to co-workers because we never know what could be going on in their lives to affect their own career cycle.
I found this article intriguing because as I read it, I was placing many of my colleagues and even myself in the various career stages. These stages didn't surprise me however I don't believe I have ever seen them articulated before.
Being more aware of the career stages can certainly be a positive thing if you or a colleague are struggling with a stage such as career frustration. As I was reading about the career frustation stage, I kept asking myself what I could do if I see a colleague there, especially one that is new to the field. It is disturbing to read that this is on the rise with newer teachers. School districts should be investigating ways to give support to these teachers but veteran teachers can help also by giving support them.
Professional development seems to take a important place in the life cyle of the teacher. Again this is no surprise but affirmation of it's key role in our profession.
I agree with Kelly about the environment of the community. I work at a school quite opposite her situation and it can be hard on the teachers. I expect that this greatly affects where the teachers are in the cycle. I also agree with Ceil that NCLB has been a factor as well. The article mentions individual dispositions as being an important factor too. I feel this one is huge because it dictates how you deal with a lot of the other factors.
In the article “Thing Winding Path: Understanding the Career Cycle of Teachers” by Susan K. Lynn, Lynn’s idea of the career cycle in the area of education is well thought out, and provides a relatable guide of what teachers’ have encountered, or will encounter throughout their career. As a first year teacher, I found this article helpful as to what I may expect to experience in my future career, and how I can grow as teacher form these experiences.
I feel that a major impact on the teacher cycle, including personal and organizational environments, is the involvement of community within a school district. This includes family involvement within a community and district. The family support of parents within a school community is essential to teacher and student satisfaction, a majorly impacts some student’s success.
I agree with Kelly in that it is essential for administrators to provide professional development including inservice training for all staff members. A major action that the district I work for has taken is creating a mentor program to assist beginning professionals during the induction stage. Being part of a new district, in a new city, I feel that this program will be extremely beneficial to not only reflect on my first years of teaching, but also to develop trusting relationships with colleagues.
Again, I feel that the awareness of the teacher cycle will help me to provide insight, and push me to document my first years of teaching so I can look back during the later part of my career and see how far I will have come.
The job of a teacher is so important and demanding! I am constantly in awe and inspired by co-workers as well as teachers of my own three children at the elementary, high school and college level. I realize that different teachers have different gifts whether they are knowledge of content area, inspiration, or caring. No matter if I put teachers on a pedestal, they are still human and at the mercy of human factors. It is unfortunate and actually unfair when these factors interfere with teachers doing the best job possible of teaching their students. A teacher has only one try at working with a certain student. Creating safeguards and reducing stress needs to be in place to make the most of the teacher-student time together.
One basic safeguard for a teacher is to have a pleasant environment with the materials he/she needs to do the job. This seems like an assumption, but with budget cuts today, the building itself may suffer and the materials may not be adequate.
Another important consideration is for a teacher to have peer/colleague support. This would be true at the pre-service training level and at the professional level. Working with colleagues I trust and respect helps me to do my best and ultimately benefits the students greatly. There needs to be time during the day for teachers to meet and plan.
Another invaluable relationship would be to have a mentor. Having someone to go to for solid advice would ground any teacher. This mentor should be someone outside of your school environment who could give support objectively. I wonder if every teacher has a mentor to look up to.
Also occassionally having the opportunity of being a mentor is also important to a teacher's well-being. Being in the position to impart knowledge is an affirming condition. It is a way to establish your value as an educator.
Throughout a teacher's career, the one common thread that enables a teacher to continue is the ability to interact positively with people. A teacher can not work in isolation. Colleagues, a mentor, and interns can have a positive effect on a teacher's career.
I found this article by Susan Lynn very interesting and I felt almost a sense of relief as I read it.
I say this because I am entering my fifth year of teaching, and feel that I have experienced several of these stages already. Knowing that this is typical and that these stages are actually outlined so to speak, lets me know that I am not alone!
Like Diane, I found that I was placing myself and my colleagues in different stages. This made me think about how school climate may also play a role in where teachers fall within the stages. I work in a small school where expectations for committee work can be demanding, there is one teacher per grade level, and daily responsibilities (in relation to duties etc.) are sometimes increased. The administration may want to take a deeper look into how to further support teachers, in this case, in a small school, because it does have a dynamic all it's own. Professional development around collegueship and how to balance responsibilities with finding time to collaborate would be beneficial. I was thinking that over an extended period of time lack of support may lead to a teacher reaching a frustration stage faster, or not being able to reach the competency building stage due to the pressures of things like lack of time, budget, etc. (Which I know we all face, small school or not.)
As professionals we work hard to differentiate in order to meet the needs of all learners. It makes perfect sense, and I agree that as adult learners we need the same. Since teachers have different attitudes, skills, knowlege, etc. at different points in their careers - these factors should drive at least part of professional development. Administrators could look at the varying needs of their staff within their buildings/districts and try to group those needs in order to establish appropriate growth for those particular groups.
Lynn’s article has caused me to examine both mine and my colleague’s career cycles, and how they are affected by our school’s administration, climate, and organizational culture. As a seventh year teacher, I unfortunately find myself torn between the Enthusiasm and Growth and the Career Frustration stages of the teacher career cycle. It took me a painful two years to exit from the induction stage of the cycle, even though I found it easy to develop positive and collaborative relationships with the many talented faculty and staff at my school. I was even lucky enough to have two fellow teachers serve as my mentors in an informal fashion. Classroom management, however, was a different story, and it seemed that I experimented with every strategy in the book in learning to deal with the many behavior issues among the tough and high-needs group of fifth and sixth graders that were my trial by fire during my first two years in Proctor. I struggled through these first years, and almost made a rapid and direct transition to the career exit stage! I am ever grateful that I didn’t.
Something clicked at the start of my third year. I resolved to firmly establish rules and routine, including a set of enforceable consequences, and followed through with consistency. It may sound simplistic, but this was a major concerted effort that eliminated my management issues, allowing me to turn my energies toward implementing and delivering the curriculum in interesting and effective ways. Teaching became a joy, rather than a job that brought about the need for blood pressure medication. Throughout the majority of the ensuing four years I have had the pleasure of residing within the enthusiasm and growth stage, as I have continued to refine my practice and find pleasure in becoming a better educator- even a model for others as a cooperating teacher for a Castleton undergraduate.
Unfortunately, my career path, as well as those of my colleagues, is threatened by an unsupportive and unresponsive administration. Communication has broken down within our school, and the highly effective professional discussion and collaboration that was once a hallmark of our staff has evaporated. An administration must be willing to trust the talents and instincts of an experienced group of educators that fall mostly within the career stability stage, and who know what they need to do to better their own teaching. Micromanagement and a one-size-fits-all approach will only frustrate an already competent faculty and cause them to enter into career frustration, or even contemplate an exit from their careers. Lynn’s article has made me realize that I cannot continue to foster enthusiasm and growth when it is unsafe to express dissent in our school without fear of reprisal and retribution. The turnover at Proctor Elementary is at its highest rate since my arrival, and morale is at an all time low. I believe that administrators should keep this career cycle in mind when considering how they’re going to attract and maintain a talented and experienced staff. When a significant number of educators from one building suddenly shift to career frustration, a change in leadership style must be considered.
What a great article. I really enjoyed reading The Winding Path, by Susan K. Lynn. As Diane noted, I also found myself not only thinking about where I am on the cycle of teaching but also where I see my collegues.
I am entering my fifth year of teaching and would place myself in both the competency building and enthusiasm and growth satge. I do agree that the stages are flexible and not linear. A perfect examlpe of this would be my first week of school this year. Although I love my job, after facing my worst first day back and a couple challenging days to follow I found myself questioning, "Am I going to have to do this all year?" After a nice long weekend I am heading back to the ethusiasm stage. We all have our moments!
School climate plays a big factor in what stage teachers may find themselves to be at. A supportive staff and administration is a key factor in a teachers attitude. I agree with Valerie that family involvment also play a major part.
In my district I find that a lot of teachers struggle to stay positive and enthusiastic due to all the new initiatives that our dirstrict continues to add each year. We don't get a chance to figure one out before another one is added on. We also lack the professional development that is needed in order to learn and implement the programs.
I will keep this article to reflect throughout my years of teaching. I feel that this would be a great article for all in the teaching profession to read.
I enjoyed reading this article and like many of the comments was glad to see these cycles identified within our profession. Reflecting on my career, I must confess that I have been through many of these cycles (with exception to the Career Wind-Down) personally. I experienced the Career Frustration and Career Stability cycle after spending too many years in a position I did not agree with any more. Thankfully, I was able to change positions within the same district to a place that has kept me intellectually and professionally challenged. Without this change, I don't think that I would have survived and stuck with the teaching profession. Since that first big change from a 'job' to a passion, I have experienced many changes within my career. My current position changes slightly each year and I must admit that I like the challenge the change brings every year. In thinking of my colleagues, this was a great article to read and keep in mind when change does not come easy for them. This article gave me another perspective to think about when working with my colleagues.
In addition to the personal and organizational factors that influence and affect teachers, I question if economics would be another factor. At my school, we have a high ratio of low socio-economic families and it seems to be getting bigger this year. The families at our school are often surviving day to day. This can be a very challenging environment to work in. Teachers, especially newer teachers, can be affected by this economic factor and find it difficult to understand this culture. Economics plays into the factor of job security as well.
I do believe that adminstrators are becoming more aware of these cyles of teaching or changes that occur within our teaching careers. At my school, there are many opportunities to belong to a Professional Learning Community (PLC) to explore new initiatives. I think this is a great way to add some Professional Development to our schools without having to include those that could not commit at the time. These PLC's are usually small groups of people exploring and piloting something new and then after having tried and experienced the new knowledge assisting their colleagues with the change. I think in the right environment and school culture this is a good way to move forward. Other actions my school administrators have used to develop and maintain nurturing environments are creating teacher buddies, have peer mentors, and in some cases, participating in study groups or informal book clubs. The most effective factor in maintaining a good school climate is humor and respect.
I believe teachers should have the opportunities to change within thier school or district with the appropriate supports. I strongly believe the opportunity to change positions within my district helped my to gain a better perspective and to appreciate different roles within the school setting.
As I read through Lynn's article, I found myself smiling and nodding...a lot. She put names to the never-ending spiral of emotions I have felt throughout my years of teaching, with the exception of the exit category, although I've frequently thought about it. It just all makes sense when you read it on paper.
Like a setting in a story, the environment one works in definitely affects work produced and colleagueship, and I agree that administration plays key roles. They direct professional development which serves to strenghthen knowledge and confidence in teachers. If they choose professional development opportunities for their faculty and staff that only serve to support what they need to do, it isn't fulfilling the needs of their teachers.
That said, as I look back at all of the administrators our school has had, I sort of feel sorry for them. They have to answer to superintendents, school boards, the community, the state, and federal rules, laws, and regulations as well as the almighty budget. A lot of people want everything for nothing, so you have to admit, they have a heavy burden to bear themselves. With all of that on top of them, how difficult it must be to make those connections between what everyone "up top" wants, and what their teachers need. I agree with Ceil and Kelly when they say that one size doesn't fit all-all teachers have different needs because we're in different places.
In several workshops and trainings I've attended, the facilitator asks us to find one sentence from readings to discuss in groups-a sentence that jumps out at us. As I read through the article a second time, I found "...teachers must be motivated to seek continual growth through professional development that advocates personalized and individualized support systems" to be remarkable. That seems almost like an answer to the riddle, and it sounds smart, but it's theory. Because of the constraints administrations and schools have, application is much more difficult. Our district did manage to form a mentoring program, and that helps the new teachers, but we all keep learning.
This article has been interesting to read. I have found myself several times saying that when things are going smoothly at home, things at school can be unstable, and vice-versa. This article did an excellent job of clearly outlining the stages of the Career Cycle and Environmental Influences, and showing the importance of balance.
One way my school district helps to create a nurturing environment for new teachers is a news article in the local news paper on the new teachers. Information like where they are from, where they got their education, level of education, and a picture. I think that this helps to bridge the gap between the community and school. Also, every month an article goes out to the local paper about what is going on in the classrooms. New units, field trips, and guest speakers are strongly encouraged to write about. By encouraging teachers to write articles about what is going on in the classroom, allows the community to be involved and relationships to be built.
I believe knowing about the career cycle will be a great reference for me and knowing where I can go next. It gives me clarity and normality to what I have felt in the past, present, and future about my career.
Post a Comment