Survive Past Five

Don't Go It Alone

Find a Mentor

Welcome to your new classroom.  You have arrived. And, whether you are coming to teaching as a new professional just getting started or making a transition from another profession, you have undoubtedly invested heavily in what you hope will be a fulfilling new career.  Your teaching credential was expensive, though, and time consuming. You poured a lot of yourself into getting certified and employed, and you are ready for the payoff. Your own classroom. Your own students. Your own opportunity to become the new you, the teacher.  Here’s the kicker, though. Depending on what statistics you use, somewhere between 17 and 50 percent of you will leave your new profession within the first five years. That’s right, even the best case means that one in five of you will have decided that you can or should no longer teach.  Even many who stay will do so only out of financial necessity. But why? How could so many of you that made that commitment to become a teacher walk away from the profession you worked so hard to enter? And what could those of you leaving have done along the way that might have changed your path?

At least 1 in 6 new teachers leave the profession in their first 5 years. (Edsource)

Well, the “big” reasons that many of you may quit teaching are not particularly difficult to identify. Teaching is hard work but ultimately rewarding in the sense of a challenge met. The secret is to seek and maintain your own life balance as you rise to that challenge. Without that balance, you will burn out, succumb to financial stress, or simply experience a motivation drain so significant that you will want to quit and do something else. Now, there are a host of factors that feed any one or more of these.  And, to be honest, some of these factors are fully under your control and some are not. Having said that, those of us who stayed with teaching were rewarded in many ways. The big question, then, is what must you do if you are to “survive past five” and be a blessing for the kids in your classroom. Put another way, how will you keep that fire alive past five?  You don't need all the answers to that question your first week on the job.  You should, though, take the one big step. 

You might be surprised at just how much you can shape your own experience if you learn quickly to mine the experience of others.  First and foremost, you are not alone in your new profession, even though there will certainly be times that you feel that you are, especially when the bell rings and it is just you with students  in your own classroom for the next 50 to 90 minutes.  To that end, to survive past five, you need two things early on. You need a friend and you need a mentor. Both are fundamentally important and involve sharing, but they play different roles in your teaching life. In many ways, friendship is about commiseration while mentoring is about development. Those roles might overlap, but each has a fundamentally different focus.  Friends help you cope to get through the day. Mentors help you grow professionally to get through the year. That mentor should be someone who not only loves to teach, but who has the experience to help guide and shape your journey. Be friends with anyone but be selective about your mentor.

If you are lucky, your new school will have already designated someone to serve as your mentor when you start teaching. If you are even luckier, that mentor will be able to check off all of the blocks for a mentor’s desirable qualities.   I will share such a list of mentor qualities a bit later.  Regardless of whether or not you have an assigned mentor, you should immediately be on the hunt for those persons from whom you can learn. And, you should continue seeking such persons in all phases of your career, not just when you are a beginner. This relationship does not have to be formal nor does it have to be hierarchical. Nor are you limited to one.  

I had one role model for selfless service who made an extraordinary impact on students and teachers alike. She would not hesitate to “help me” or “guide me” when she saw the need to share.  She taught many of us how to treat our students like they were our own kids. She was powerful after having practiced her trade for many years. She made me better in MY classroom, and yet she never spent a day in a classroom like mine. She had her own venue.  She ran our lunch room.  And, she was an effective educator who interacted with and encouraged students every single day.  In that regard, she was a mentor.  You simply need to find and get to know those educators in your school that are doing things well, enjoying their profession, and willing to share the secrets to their own passion and success.

As promised,  you can build a pretty good checklist for sizing up someone's potential as a mentor.  There are a lot of business publications that list those traits.  One that I like is from an organization called Franchise Growth Partners (FGP), a consulting firm that assists businesses with creating and sustaining franchises.  Their 10 qualities of a good mentor fit our requirements for new teacher mentors quite well. In fact, you might, upon reflection, conclude that these are the same qualities that your students hope to see when you step in front of your new classroom.  They are

• Willingness to share skills, knowledge, and expertise.

• Demonstrates a positive attitude and acts as a positive role model.

• Takes a personal interest in the mentoring relationship.

• Exhibits enthusiasm in the field.

• Values ongoing learning and growth in the field.

• Provides guidance and constructive feedback.

• Respected by colleagues and employees in all levels of the organization.

• Sets and meets ongoing personal and professional goals.

• Values the opinions and initiatives of others.

• Motivates others by setting a good example.

So, how do you get started? If you are like any of us that preceded you in the new teacher ranks, you will experience a mix of excitement and apprehension.  You will probably feel overwhelmed and have a “to do” list as long as your arm. So, give this some thought. The building is full of people who used to  be new teachers.  Pause for a moment. Take a deep breath. In through your nose and out through your mouth. Have that little voice in your head remind you that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Then begin your year with a keen eye for your fellow educators that seem to exemplify those good mentor qualities. Get out of your comfort zone, introduce yourself, form relationships, and ask questions.  You extroverts won't have any problem there, but you may want to hone your listening skills a bit.  But you introverts are going to have to force yourself to get out and about. This is no time to retreat into your quiet corner (or classroom).  You should probably set a goal to knock on someone's door and introduce yourself at least once a week for your first six weeks.  Then, if you have a bad day , see if one of those new contacts might help you gain some perspective..  Who knows, that someone just might prove to be a mentor.  One thing is for sure. You cannot find gold unless you are willing to do a bit of mining.  Start thinking that way now and you will very likely Survive Past Five.

Next Up:  Your 168 Checkbook (Subtitle:  Balance Your Checkbook, Balance Your Life.)