Readers Survey 2008
- Readers' Survey 2008 Home
- Best Blog for Educators
- Best Educational Podcast
- Best Virtual Field Trip
- Best Site from Which You Can Download Free Lessons and Materials
- Best Site for Grant Information
- Best Technology Product for Less Than $100
- Best Technology Tool for Students
- Best Education Software
- Amount You Spend Out of Pocket Each Year on Classroom Supplies
- Best Way to Get What You Need for the Classroom
- Best Public Advocate or Role Model for Educators
- Best New Book About Education
- Top Concern of Parents
- Top Concern of Teachers
- What's Missing from Education Degree or Certification Programs
- Who, from the Past or Present, You'd Like to Teach Your Class for a Day
- Subject That Typically Isn't Taught in Schools That Should Be
- Best Way for Schools to Keep New Teachers from Burning Out
- Best Way to Find Inspiration
- Best Way to Create an Educational Community
This year's Readers' Survey was conducted at Edutopia.org March 26-April 30, 2008. Participants responded to questions in their own words, and their answers were tabulated to yield the top three to five vote getters in each category. The top responses for each question appear with voting buttons to encourage our visitors to participate further.
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Readers' Survey 2008: Best Way for Schools to Keep New teachers from Burning Out
Credit: iStockphoto
Five readers answered this question simply by saying "Support, support, and support," while others elaborated on the many forms such support can take: training, encouragement, better pay, and having mentors for multiple years. "Mentoring" was the number-one response, and readers provided practical suggestions for how to make it work, such as releasing veteran teachers from some of their duties so they can mentor younger teachers, paying mentors better, and providing new educators with more opportunities to observe high-quality teaching during the school day.
Other burnout-prevention ideas included having new teachers begin by team teaching with a highly qualified teacher, and not giving entry-level teachers the toughest kids. Still, some of the despair from burnout leaked into answers such as "I wish I knew" and "Just keep out of my way."
What do you think? Weigh in on the results.
Preventing teacher burnout
Submitted by Janet Morgan (not verified) on August 6, 2008 - 20:43.
Effective administrative and peer support are critical to the success of a new teacher. As a new teacher in a South LA Elementary School, I had a paid mentor. I was one of the 2 new teachers she was paid to mentor. After the October "norming," I was given a 4/5 split of (mostly under-acheiving)students that had been pulled from their classrooms during this reorganization. My mentor knew that I was drowning; I told her so! I went to her for help, but other than a sympathetic ear, I didn't receive any "mentoring". My room partner kept the door locked between our rooms, and the faculty and office staff turned a deaf ear.
That was 7 years ago. Surviving that trial-by-fire made me a better teacher, but I still feel guilt and regret for the 32 students in my classroom that year. Adults need to put their egos and preconceived notions aside, and work to be more effective educating the children we teach.
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