At contract finalization we collect information so that all new
teachers can be given email access, server access (on campus only,
alas), and their laptop. This year we are also offering summer
training for all faculty as we switch to Google Apps.
First, all new teachers have access to a wiki that has all kinds of
general information about the school, about the city, about moving,
and about the business office-related aspects of starting work. There
are schedules and calendars, a downloadable version of the teacher
handbook, and brief videos introducing a number of people new folks
might not have met in the hiring process, and more material of the
nuts-and-bolts sort. There is also a bunch of tech-related material
(we're a 1-to-1 school, as of this year).
Then all new faculty take the 3-day Teaching All Kinds of Minds
course, which is facilitated by a member of our faculty who is a
trained instructor of the course. We're by no means an "AKOM school,"
but the program offers a great overview of student learning and best
practices for reaching every student.
Next is a four-day orientation, which is about half "curriculum
consultancy" with a mentor teacher or department head to get ahead on
course and lesson planning, about a third school culture-related
content (an annotated tour, athletic and cocurricular philosophy,
advising and parent relations, school jargon, etc.), and the remainder
nuts and bolts.
By the time full faculty meetings start the new folks know their way
around the building and have met virtually all the folks they will be
working directly with. They will have participated in summer
curriculum work (they are of course invited and paid by stipend if
they do this), and they will even have some of their course planning
completed and reviewed.
Depending on the size of the new cohort we will either do follow-up
throughout the year--late April--as 1-on-1 meetings s with specific
people or group gatherings/workshops that might include mentors as
well as the administrators involve with new teacher programming. The
highpoint of the program for many is the new teacher dinner, held at a
local restaurant just before December break begins. Mentors are
invited, too, and there's some reflection but a whole lot more general
yakking and enjoyment of good food and fellowship.
Hope this helps--Peter Gow
Peter Gow
Director of College Counseling and Special Programs
Beaver Country Day School
791 Hammond Street
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467
www.bcdschool.org
617-738-2755 (O)
617-738-2747 (F)
petergow3 (Skype)
--
Peter Gow
Director of College Counseling and Special Programs
Beaver Country Day School
791 Hammond Street
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467
www.bcdschool.org
617-738-2755 (O)
617-738-2747 (F)
petergow3 (Skype)
[ For info on ISED-L see http://www.gds.org/ISED-L ]
Submissions to ISED-L are released under a creative commons, attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.
RSS Feed, http://listserv.syr.edu/scripts/wa.exe?RSS&L=ISED-L
