Written by Professor Jonathan Schaefer

WELS schools all over the country are receiving new teachers on their faculties. These teachers are well trained and enthusiastic.

During their first year on a faculty, they have several questions, one of which is, “What am I teaching?” That question includes things like curriculum, procedures, and ways the school operates.

Another question involves, “How am I going to teach? How do I bring my own style to get to know and engage my new students?”

These are big questions. In order to support teachers who are working with these questions, congregations and schools might consider a few tips:

• Limit or eliminate additional responsibilities for beginning teachers. It gives the newest teachers time to wrap their minds around these big questions.
• Provide a day to observe in another school. By observing other teachers who teach at the same level, teachers can glean strategies and make connections to their own classrooms.

Teachers also reflectively ask themselves another big question: “How do I fit into the ministry at my new congregation and school?”

It’s such a blessing that we all share a common faith and doctrine. Yet this is separate from the culture that exists at our various ministries. Each congregation has its own personality.

Congregations and schools welcoming a teacher might consider these tips to help those teachers connect:

• Invite the newly arriving teachers to summer events. Congregations often have summer programs and events that coincide with the gap between the teachers’ departure and the start of their new calls. So invite your newest faculty members to your summer events. Even if the teachers cannot make it, your invitation sends the explicit message, “We’re excited you’re coming to be a part of our ministry!”
• Provide financial support for your teachers’ professional development. Research clearly indicates that teachers who are continually engaged in their own on-the-job professional development have greater success in the classroom and have students who perform better academically. Set aside $1000 per teacher for their professional development each year. Investing in teachers’ development is an investment in the future.

We are excited for all the congregations and schools who will receive the blessing of teachers this summer. May God bless you as you welcome them and give them time to answer all the big questions.

Professor Jonathan Schaefer (’02) is currently serving as the New Teacher Induction director at Martin Luther College in New Ulm MN. 

Adapted from in MLC InFocus, March 2019