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Schools

New Teachers Welcomed to Hillsborough County

About 600 new teachers will go through an orientation and induction process this week.

About 600 teachers new to Hillsborough County's public school system will learn the ropes from old pros this week at a four-day orientation. Hillsborough County’s annual New Teacher Orientation and Induction kicked off Monday, July 25, at

“The goal of NTO is to bring teachers in that are new hires and acclimate them to our district,” said Shannon Bogle, supervisor of teacher training. “It’s an opportunity for them to get to know Hillsborough County.”

Over the course of four days, new teachers will attend sessions on topics like professionalism, classroom management and diversity training. Bogle said the county school district - the eighth-largest in the nation - has hired about the same number of new teachers in the last two years but the numbers pale compared to years past, when more than a thousand teachers attended NTO.

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“I believe we’re retaining more teachers,” Bogle said. “Many teachers here were hired during the year and so they didn’t come to NTO [last year]. That’s a good sign.”

Some of the topics covered at orientation reflect the goals of the Empowering Effective Teachers initiative, a program made possible by a $100 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2009.

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The initiative calls for two major changes. First, teachers face a new evaluation system, involving regular evaluations by both their peers and school principals. Second, new teachers will be paired with a veteran teacher “mentor” who has worked in a similar school environment.

Tami O’Grady, a sixth-grade reading teacher and first-time mentor, said she looks forward to passing advice on to a new teacher.

“I think about when I was a new teacher and the things that I could have used help with,” she said. “I think it will be very beneficial for the teachers.”

Only teachers with zero teaching experience will be assigned mentors. Mentors will work with new teachers for two years, providing one-on-one advice and assisting from a comfortable distance. According to Bogle, the district takes geographical location into consideration so teachers and mentors can meet easily.

“It was exciting, it was passionate and it was a huge learning curve for all of us,” said second-year mentor Debra Keith of her experience with the mentor program. “We learned as much being mentors as the teachers did.”

Some new teachers said they look forward to learning from their peers. Michael Slonaker, a coach with a year of experience, will use information from the orientation to brush up for his new position as varsity basketball coach at Plant High School.

“I’m always eager to hear tips and tricks from people who’ve done it before,” he said. “If you’re a good coach, you’re a good teacher.”

Vendors like the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association (CTA) and Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union set up tables during the orientation to provide new teachers with other resources, like union membership and banking options.

Stephanie Baxter-Jenkins, executive director of the Hillsborough CTA, says the union has seen a spike in membership in recent months. She cited decisions by Florida government officials as a potential reason for the growth in membership. Teachers join the CTA for help with anything from setting up a classroom to legal advice.

Statewide, teachers and other public employees must contribute 3 percent of their income toward retirement. And in discussions regarding a new teachers' contract, the Hillsborough school district is considering nixing raises this year to avoid layoffs and furloughs.

“It’s a tough year for education in the state of Florida,” Baxter-Jenkins said. “That sentiment makes people want to band together with their colleagues to stick up for their rights.”

Staisy Kibart recently finished her master’s degree at the University of South Florida and is preparing for her first teaching job as a band director. Music and world cultures are important to kids, she said, and she wants to make a difference.

“I definitely want to help kids grow as musicians,” she said. “The arts are really important to help kids become well-rounded in school.”

Other new teachers look to their future careers with broader goals, but equal optimism.

“I hope to find resources I’m not aware of yet through the county,” said Brittany Mayo, a teacher for the elementary school Academically Gifted Program. “I really like working with kids. It’s new every day.” 

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