Efficient Teachers, Efficient Students: How the AFT Professional Development Program Rescued New Teachers in the Calcasieu Parish (La.) Public Schools
By Teri Johnson
As an educator, I value continuous learning. I was first introduced to the American Federation of Teachers when I was on a local constitution committee in 1998. AFT’s professional development has helped me learn about the latest trends in educational issues. To better support our teachers, it’s important that we are updated on the topics that greatly affect their ability to provide the highest quality of classroom instruction. So, when our new teachers in the Calcasieu Parish Public Schools district demanded a more modernized and applicable version of their professional development trainings, I knew I could wholeheartedly count on the AFT. At that time, the Calcasieu Parish Public Schools had a forward-thinking superintendent who was willing to provide our members with adequate professional development centered on handling stress and classroom management, although that superintendent is no longer there.
After speaking with several of our new teachers, I was able to understand the difficulties they are having translating what they’ve learned about the teaching profession in college to what is actually going on in their classrooms. The discussions validated that our new teachers are in desperate need of adequate professional development training, considering the fact that they are essentially learning on the job. This is why the Calcasieu Federation of Teachers and School Employees plans on providing our members with professional development courses provided by AFT on how to better handle the stress of teaching, classroom management skills, and enforcing effective discipline styles in the classroom.
We sent out a survey to all teachers in the district — not just our members — where they ranked specific areas of concerns on a scale of one to six, one being the highest and six being the lowest. Topics on the survey included school climate, frequency of collaboration and planning time, and other relevant school operation topics. The survey also permitted us to disaggregate findings based on how special education and traditional teachers responded and their grade levels and subjects across all campuses. We were able to determine top concerns, which included discipline issues, excessive paperwork, inability to collaborate with other teachers, and lack of support from administration. We were delighted to learn that depending on the relevance of the content, members indicated that they are more willing to stay after school or even come in on Saturdays just to learn new materials.
Now that we have a clear understanding of our teachers’ needs, we can better design professional development around their immediate concerns. Thanks to our members, I was able to learn about the importance of having teacher mentors prior to taking on the profession, which makes the transition for new teachers into their school environment easier. We also plan on incorporating their needs into AFT’s professional development program, making the content of their trainings more relevant. We are ecstatic to see a monumental shift in the way our teachers communicate with one another and with the local union. The conversations are no longer opportunities to simply vent, but opportunities for members to ask for help and be contributors of knowledge. My main concern is fully supporting our members and making them feel heard and understood — because when teachers feel supported, students receive the highest quality of education. The AFT has proven its dedication to the teachers in my district by simply inquiring about their needs, and producing tools to combat the problems that may hinder the ability of any student to prosper academically.
At the end of the day, it really is about the personal relationships you build with not only the members, but with everyone in your district. If I can offer our teachers tools to better support them in the classroom, then I’ve done my job. I think the strength of these relationships come across in the way we speak to our members, and in the way we speak at schools when recruiting.
Teri Johnson is president of the Calcasieu Federation of Teachers and School Employees, and secretary-treasurer of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers.
