I think the most important thing I have learned about my administrators is that they are a lot like my supervisors in the corporate world. My supervisors are always willing to help, but many times there is no help they can truly give me. If I have a real concern, I may get saddled with an array of catch-phrases like "hang in there", "it'll get better", or "I remember that". The life of the first year teacher is very lonely. Many times your best help will come from the most surprising places.
My mentor at my school is the head football coach. He is a great guy and we get along very well. The only problem is that I don't think our experiences are relative. On the other hand, there is a young business education teacher on my hall who has been incredibly helpful. She is in her second year and I suspect she remembers many of the trials she faced last year. She informs me of special agendas and helps me learn the ins and outs of the school and it's students.
Truth be told, the administration has its hands full, running the school on a day to day basis. I am positive that they would love to help every teacher, student and faculty member. But, there are only so many hours in the work day. So in the end it falls to us to help one another, and believe it or not, it has been working out pretty well so far.
Hi, Kennis - I really like that you have discovered a helpful colleague, and it is interesting that she is close and new. If a teacher does survive their first year they are usually quite determined to share their experiences and help others avoid some of the pitfalls. Great post!
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