First-Year Teachers: New and Ready to Lead!

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

July 2014

Publication Title

The Power of Teacher Leaders: Their Roles, Influence, and Impact

First Page

120

Last Page

131

DOI

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315815206

Abstract

This chapter explores the role of strong teacher preparation programs in training first-year teacher leaders, the new teacher's capacity to provide healthy disruption toward a culture of relational leadership, specific opportunities for new teacher leaders, and critical factors for supporting first-year teacher leaders. However, in exploring the topic of first-year teachers as leaders and agents of change, it is important to focus on what it means to be new to the profession; and the degree to which a teacher is truly new varies based upon his or her preparation. First-year teacher Mary Ellen Estridge got her start in a new Reggio Emilia-inspired school in the city's largest urban district. Besides the transformative energy that new teacher leaders can bring to a school community, there are other critical professional issues that can be addressed in supporting first-year teachers as leaders. Emily Alaimo, a first-year special education teacher, stated that her principal encouraged her to share frequently with staff and team members.

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