Recruiting New Teachers Requires Honesty
July 27, 2009
Holding on to a good teacher takes finesse and common sense. In a roundabout way, it's a lot like dating.
College graduates vying for their first full-time teaching gig may be easy to win over at first, but that doesn't mean administrators should gloss over the recruiting process.
Many school recruiters fail to paint an accurate picture of their institution. As a result, teachers come and go with the seasons. Often an administrator will consider himself lucky if a first-year teacher stays on for an entire school year, especially at under-funded inner-city schools where teacher turnover rates are high.
"The main thing is to be transparent," says Lance Radford, principal of Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, South Carolina. "You've got to let teachers know what they're in for"the culture of the area, the workload, the administrative philosophy. Spending the appropriate amount of time with a potential teacher is extremely important."
Like many southern schools, Wade Hampton High hires a large number of 20-something transplants from northern states. Separated from family and friends, new teachers grow homesick and disillusioned. Keeping a new teacher content, he says, starts the second you shake hands.
Radford says he never hires a teacher who hasn't toured his school. During the interview process, he likes to stress a minimum three-year commitment and emphasize Wade Hampton's tight-knit faculty.
Once a teacher has been hired, Radford pairs them up with a seasoned faculty member with similar hobbies. And he always provides an out-of-state hire with affordable and attractive housing options.
"You want to make sure there are no surprises," says Radford. "Teachers need to be comfortable and feel like they belong right off the bat. Everything from church to roommates should be discussed. You want them to feel like they're a part of your family."
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