By Elaine Rhodes

Teachers who are just beginning or are in their first few years of teaching have an opportunity this summer to refresh their vision and strengthen their classroom skills.

New teachers often start out excited about the world of possibilities, only to get discouraged by real-world road blocks in the classroom. Many feel they have nowhere to turn when they “hit the wall,” feel “stuck” or otherwise uninspired.

With the support of QTL’s New and Emerging Teachers Institute (NETI), which the North Carolina General Assembly funded specifically for this purpose, new teachers can be there for each other. New arrivals also learn how to collaborate with more seasoned teachers in a synergistic system that provides a platform for professional discussion. “I am not alone! I gained confidence learning that I’m not the only one going through the problems I faced in the classroom,” said one new Charlotte-Mecklenburg participant.

During 2008, QTL offered NETI to nearly 300 teachers from almost 100 different schools across North Carolina. Participating districts included Brunswick, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Cleveland, Franklin, Johnston, Macon, Robeson and Rutherford counties. The program offers a cost-effective way for districts to support new teachers, and meet some of the state-mandated professional development requirements at the same time.

During summer 2009, three days before school begins and another three during the school year will infuse new educators with energy and skills that make their classrooms a more exciting place to learn, and a more rewarding place to teach.

“To any system that doesn’t have it—GET it. You will see such a dramatic difference. And to the teachers who have already been teaching who are so envious of us because we are in the program—the program speaks for itself.”

Centora Holder
Johnston County teacherTerri Sessoms, who was In charge of professional development for new teachers in Johnston County schools in 2008, says NETI can make a huge difference.

"I love the QTL model because it gives teachers a piece of information, they get the opportunity to go out and practice that with their students, and then come back for the next session," she says. "There’s time built for them to ask questions and to piggyback off each other before they take on that next piece.” (Hear extended interviews with Terri Sessoms and Johnston County teacher Centora Holder about NETI).

Teachers new to the system learn creative ways to reach their students, all of whom learn in different ways. Centora Holder, a first-year teacher at Selma Middle School, expressed her appreciation of that approach.

“YES! Someone realized that everyone doesn’t learn the same way," she says. NETI has given me a more in-depth understanding of what the teaching profession is all about. You’ve got to reach. If you're not reaching and they’re not learning, you’re not being an effective teacher, as opposed to just being efficient at what you do.”

Sessoms noted another important impact of the program: new teacher retention. “We’ve lost zero teachers who we’ve involved with QTL (NETI) before school started. At this point over the past two years, we’d lost anywhere from four to eight teachers—this training has greatly reduced our attrition rate.”

Brunswick County district hired QTL instructor Pat Smith to introduce NETI to its new teachers. During training, Pat noticed that teachers kept saying “how different this training was. After the first day of NETI they were talking about how fun it was, how they were up doing things—they were enjoying it. They liked that the workshop was fast-paced, hands-on and engaging, and loved coming back every session.”

NETI’s effect is widespread. The training is integral to making Brunswick’s 21st Century learning initiative work countywide.

A participant from Charlotte-Mecklenburg noted, “I learned that NETI is aware of the challenges we face, and is there to support me.”

Another Charlotte teacher, Katherine Crompton, added, “I really looked forward to my NETI sessions. I find myself going back to things I learned on a daily basis. I feel more prepared as an educator from these sessions than any other workshop I attended.”

Centora Holder sums up, “I would say this program is essential to the success of your first-year teachers. Maybe you’re the only new teacher on your hall, but this gives you an outlet—it gives you a Professional Learning Community (PLC) of people who are in the same situation who may be going through the same thing. It’s been so influential.

"For me, it’s been enlightening, it’s been encouraging, it’s—I actually love my job. I enjoy each day, getting up, going in to teach…I’ve finally found my calling. Because of these programs that are put into place for new teachers, I feel that school systems are helping us to succeed.”

School districts are invited to partner with QTL this summer to give new teachers exciting skills and information that promise to enhance the classroom experience for themselves, and even more importantly, for their students.

Read more participants' comments on NETI or see more stories about NETI participants.