Teaching the teachers: Academy offers 4-day course in information, networking and fun

Each year, new teachers joining the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District participate in an orientation designed to provide information on topics such as curriculum, technology, safety and employee benefits. Beyond a wide range of basic knowledge, the four-day New Teacher Academy also includes time for collaborating, networking and laughter, said Kristen Merrell, the district’s director of professional development.

“One of the most important pieces is that we are helping them experience joy,” she said. “And last year, we got comment after comment after comment about how welcome they felt.”

A major component of this welcome is the district’s popular New Teacher Breakfast, hosted by the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce. At this event, held Aug. 5 this year, Chamber members mix with the new teachers, offering encouragement as well as a large goody bag full of school-related donations from businesses.

The popular event, which began in the 1980s, has been sponsored by the University of Central Missouri in recent years, with the Chamber’s Education Committee helping organize the breakfast, according to Matt Baird, Lee’s Summit Chamber president.

“The new teacher breakfast is a great relationship between the Lee’s Summit Chamber and LSR7,” he said. “The business community of Lee’s Summit has always been very supportive of the public schools in Lee’s Summit and the amount of donations given is great proof of that dedication and love for the schools.”

Over the last few years, the Chamber has worked with the Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation to provide small grants for teachers to use to purchase classroom items, Baird added.

This year’s new teachers total around 145, and include classroom teachers, special-education teachers, speech and language pathologists, librarians and counselors. Of these, 30 are teachers new to the profession, with the remaining new employees bringing a wealth of experience to the school district, Merrell said.

The four days of orientation are part of the district’s efforts to both help the staff members succeed in their new role and to improve teacher retention.

“It’s a welcome and begins to build that sense of belonging,” she added. “It allows them to get some foundational knowledge of the big picture of the district and also network and make connections because we have 30 buildings plus district-wide staff. It also allows them in a systematic way to be able to meet district leaders, curriculum specialists, a variety of supports that they may or may not have been able to meet once they are back in their building, at least initially. It lets them put a face with a name.”

Sessions focus on curriculum and instructional resources, technology support, preparing for those critical first days of school and behaviors and expectations. The New Teacher Academy, held Aug. 5-8 this year, also includes one day for teachers to spend in their own schools with this day structured by leaders within each school.

A recent addition within the orientation is a focus on customizing the sessions for each staff member. The new teachers receive personalized curriculum and resources training based on content area, Merrell said, with around 20 experienced teacher leaders working with the new employees in small group sessions.

“One of the big structures we worked on this year is customizing the time frames,” she said. “We are continuing to work on personalizing the experience as much as we can, so differentiating because we know that’s good for students. It’s really good for adults. It shows respect of their time and what they bring to LSR7.”

The New Teacher Academy features a wide variety of content areas with differences ranging from grade levels to subject matter to special services, making this personalization especially important. For example, this year’s group includes the district’s new firefighting teacher and a school nurse.

Since a majority of teachers new to the Lee’s Summit district already have experience within other districts, the new educators have the option of attending additional sessions beyond the New Teacher Academy, Merrell said. These include New Tech U focusing on the district’s technology devices and platforms, and one designed for elementary and middle school teachers about the district’s Behavior Intervention Support Team – also known as BIST. Some of the teachers coming from other districts may already be familiar with BIST or the district’s technology, so not every new teacher will need these, she added.

Employees new to teaching have an additional resource with each new teacher assigned their own mentor. Throughout their first year, the new staff members meet monthly with an experienced teacher who is typically from the new employee’s school or content area.

The new staff members will be joining Lee’s Summit R-7’s team of around 1,380 teachers this year. Classes for the district’s approximately 18,000 students begin on Aug. 21.