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Essay on New Teachers' problems and support
New teachers are often unprepared for the emotional, physical, social, and psychological demands of teaching. Traditional staff development models may not be well suited to meet the needs of these teachers. However, school psychologists and counselors are in an excellent position to facilitate the professional and problem-solving skills of new teachers.
New teachers are often unprepared for the emotional, physical, social, and psychological demands of teaching (Huling-Austin, 1986). The first year of teaching plays a critical role in whether one will stay in the profession and what type of teacher she or he will become (Feiman-Nemser, 1983). Traditional staff development models, however, may not be well suited to meet the needs of new teachers (Rebore, 1982), with as many as 50% of teachers leaving the profession within the first 7 years (Huling-Austin, 1989). Furthermore, the culture of isolation that permeates many schools (Lortie, 1975) presents few opportunities for teachers to engage in sustained professional dialogue about their learning and their teaching (Harris, 1995). School psychologists and counselors, because of their background in child development, skills in consultation, and their non-evaluative role with regard to teachers, are in an excellent position to facilitate meaningful professional dialogue among new teachers. In this article, we describe consultee-centered group consultation as one method for encouraging a sense of community among new teachers and providing a forum for discussing the challenges they face every day.
The literature on teacher development suggests that the process of becoming a teacher does not cease at the end of formal training but continues into the induction year and beyond. Johnson and Pugach (1996) pointed out that the absence of a collaborative problem-solving dialogue among teachers contributes to feelings of isolation and hinders teachers' ability to implement changes in their classrooms. Britzman (1986) described the culture of schools as having "invisible walls" with high value placed on autonomy and privacy..............
