"Been There, Done That" Tips & Ideas: Finding a Support Network

A team can be your biggest support network.

(Photo: © iStockPhoto)

The first year of teaching is always easier and more enjoyable if you have a group of professional friends to turn to for advice, ideas, and emotional support. But where do you find them? We asked several not-so-newbie teachers (who recently completed their first year of teaching) to tell us how they developed their network of support. Here's a secret—most of them looked no further than the hallways of their own school buildings.

Who is in your teacher support network and in what ways do they help you?

"I have an assigned mentor who is probably the most organized person I have ever met. Plus, I have several colleagues who go out of their way to help me. They offer me ideas for teaching skills, let me borrow teacher tools, ask me how my day was, and perhaps most important—when I am overwhelmed, the tell me that everything is going to be okay."

—Allison Eaker, Charlotte, North Carolina

"My teaching support network is a collection of teachers around the building — they are my fall back. I can go to them for help with students' behavior problems, lesson questions, or just to vent. I'm also lucky to have a new teacher mentor who is assigned by the school. Her only job is to mentor the first- and second-year teachers. She observes my class once a week and meets with me once a regularly to discuss any problems or concerns. She has her office open any time to come in to talk."

—Nicole Quandt, Warren, Michigan

"My kindergarten team is my biggest support network. They share lesson plans, arts and crafts, and homemade games with me. Plus, we plan special kindergarten events together. I also have an assigned mentor and she has turned out to be a blessing. She always takes time out to answer any questions I have. She shares holiday projects with me and shows me how to fill out forms or paperwork I may be confused about. The administrators in my building help with ideas for discipline and special needs students."

—Christa Melis, Gainesville, Florida

"My mentor is a fourth-grade teacher in my building who has been teaching at my school for about 20 years. She is smart, talented, and extremely supportive. She always checks in on me, and she's always there to just listen if I have to vent about anything. She even slips notes in my mailbox to cheer me when I'm having a rough day."

"Two teachers on my fifth-grade team are also great teaching supports—I can go to both of them for help with anything or get ideas on how they would handle certain situations. Since they know exactly what I go through on a daily basis, they are easy to talk to and are great sounding boards. My best friend in the building is another first-year teacher who is teaching third-grade. She gives me emotional support and because she's not my grade level, can often be more objective when I tell her about things that are bothering me.

—Kim French, Eureka, Missouri

"My most valuable mentors are the other third grade teachers on my team. Two of them were new last year. They were so open and helpful . . . and we share ideas on a regular basis. They have given me help on things new teachers don't know about right off the bat like personality issues and unwritten rules. I also consider my ESL teacher and special education collaborative teacher to be a part of my support because they help a lot with some of the high needs kids in my classroom. My assigned mentor is a kindergarten teacher who is also a reading resource teacher. She checks in with me about big projects like portfolios and attends meetings in our school district with me."

—Erica Jaramillo, West Des Moines, Iowa