Whether a first time teacher or one who has taught for ten years elsewhere, all new teacher hires at NRMPS were required to attend the New Teacher Orientation in mid-August. For the 2013-2014 school year, NRMPS hired a total of 72 new teachers with 57 of those being first time teachers. The creation of the 3-day training was a result of collaboration between human resources, professional development, curriculum and instruction and the technology department.
Topics for each day were Basic Needs and Expectations, Beginning with the End in Mind, and Maximizing Learning. The sessions included personnel matters, licensure, school safety, iConnect, communicating with parents, assessments and many more.
Ella Batts, NRMPS Director of Licensed Personnel, talked about the sessions and why the district requires this type of training. "Overall, it was very successful. Basically, we try to give them enough to get them acclimated on each of the days. We do this because it's very important that new teachers have an expectation of what they will face. We want to invest in them so they will invest in our children, and hopefully, by doing this they will want to remain in our district."
According to Batts, the learning for new teachers doesn't stop with the sessions. NRMPS has built into the calendar monthly meetings to help "continue developing their skills and confidences as they grow as teachers."
