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Page 68
The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch
August 23, 2013
New County Teachers LearnWay
By TRAVIS BROWN
STAFF WRITER
SNOW HILL – A fresh crop of Worcester County Public Schools (WCPS) teachers went through induction last week, a process that paired them with a mentor and introduced them to some new ideas with the county set to start phasing in the federal Common Core Curriculum (CCC) next year. The four-day orientation expanded in a number of ways this year, according to organizers, and looks to introduce “culturally competent” and fully supported teachers into the school system at the end of the month.
Featuring guest speakers, lesson demonstrations and discussions on everything from the teacher evaluation process to county performance criteria, the induction program has been built as a comprehensive tool to get new WCPS teachers ready for their first school year in the county. It’s something that rookie teachers have a lot of use for, said Shirleen Church, coordinator for professional development. But it is also a strong tool for educators that have experience teaching in other areas but are unfamiliar with Worcester, a group that makes up about two-thirds of this year’s class. “This program has expanded so much over the last few years … and
Pictured during a recent training exercise are Mentor Megan Cooke and new teacher Stacey Bredenberg. Photo by Travis Brown
each year we try to make it more comprehensive for everybody,” said Church. A lot of that is because of an expanded mentor program, she continued, with 49 veteran WCPS teachers being selected this year to help guide the 52 incoming instructors. Mentors spent more time being trained this year than in the past and will be a resource to the new teachers after induction is over and into the next school year. Mentor Megan Cooke, an educator at Buckingham Elementary School (BES), called the program a “great support system” for new teachers. The mentor’s job is to make their mentee “culturally com-
petent” coming into WCPS, she said, and comfortable in everything from designing a lesson plan to organizing grading to discipline in the classroom. While always important, the changes associated with the implementation of Common Core next year could present additional challenges. However, Cooke is confident that the transition to CCC will be smooth both for veteran educators and their new colleagues. “I think it’s going to be rather less challenging then people think it’s going to be to take Common Core into the classrooms,” she said. Cooke’s mentee, Stacey BredenSEE NEXT PAGE
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