Looking in on New Teacher Induction and Support Dr. Nancy Dawe Instructional Leadership Facilitator, Expressive Arts Music, Integrated Studies, and AP Capstone Research Teacher
TEACHER INDUCTION: WHERE THE RESEARCH JOURNEY BEGAN My interest in researching teacher induction stems from my personal experiences as a beginning teacher. In my first year as a teacher, my school board’s formal induction program and my principal’s support throughout the teacher evaluation process were critical to my success at the school and to my positive entry into the profession at large. The induction program provided opportunities to network with beginning teachers from other schools; to meet with the school board’s music consultant, who coached me in short- and long-term planning of teaching and assessment; and to understand Human Resources policies and procedures around benefits and contracts. My principal approved release time for me to attend a provincial beginning teachers’ conference, and he was thoughtful and constructive with his feedback during all stages of the teacher evaluation process. I could not have asked for a better first year as a teacher. The following year, I moved across the country, which meant starting over in a new school board with a different principal. I firmly believe that if my first year in that board had been my very first year of teaching, I would not be writing this paper as a teacher with 18 years of experience. (Two of my colleagues
at that school were just beginning their teaching careers, and both chose to leave the profession at the end of the year.) In that second year, I participated in the school board’s formal teacher induction program, which largely consisted of watching and discussing video clips. At the end of the year, my principal wrote