BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Monitor Editor
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— The principal of Keystone Heights Elementary School said her leadership team is focusing on supporting inexperienced teachers this year.
Beth Turberville told school board members during their Oct. 6 meeting that because of a statewide teacher shortage, many instructors entering the classroom do not have degrees from colleges of education, and many have never interned before starting their jobs.
The principal added that on her own campus, she has five first-year teachers, eight instructors new to Keystone Elementary, and six completely new grade-level teams.
Turberville said that although the district offers support to inexperienced teachers through coaching, she believed that effort needed to be supplemented at the school level.
Veterans embedded with rookies
“Knowing first-hand how difficult teaching is, after being a classroom teacher for 21 years,” she said, “I knew that with only having a very small number of district coaches serving such a large number of schools, we were going to have to be proactive to find our own solution to serve our own new teachers and new-to-Keystone teachers.”
Turberville said that in addition to the one-hour-a-week of coaching provided by the district, her team thought some new teachers needed an experienced instructor embedded in the classrooms of rookie teachers all day, every day for several weeks.
“I chose two seasoned teachers to lead this initiative and met with them over the summer,” Turberville said. “We developed a plan collaboratively, and they both led a breakout session with our new teachers and new-to-Keystone-Elementary teachers during pre-planning.”
Turberville said that after classes started, she continued to meet with the two veteran instructors, adjusting their plans according to the needs of the new teachers.
“We have seen tremendous growth in our new teachers since the first day of school,” she said, “several of whom needed our support coaches embedded with them every day, all day for weeks at first, and then were weaned away. Others only needed a little support.”
The principal said that with new teachers now needing less support, her two veteran coaches have begun to assist more experienced teachers with instructional strategies and classroom management.
Second-year teacher appreciates support
Turberville played a video for board members of second-year teacher Meredith Bale.
The third-grade instructor said she came into teaching through an alternative pathway and didn’t have a degree in education or any teaching experience when she started teaching last year in another district.
“Last year was very difficult, being thrown into a classroom with little to no support and really not having that background knowledge in education,” Bale said. “This year, my experience here with my administration, my peers and my curriculum coaches has been absolutely amazing.”
Bale added that within the first two weeks of school, veteran teacher Brandi Kirkland was in her third-grade classroom modeling lessons, not just for a day, but for a week.
“She would teach half my class,” Bale said. “I would teach the other half.”
Bale added that Kirkland’s feedback, in addition to prompt answers from peers and administrators to her questions, has bolstered her confidence and sharpened her ability to lead her class.
Integrated instruction
Turberville also told board members that the school’s resource instructors, those teaching physical education, music, computer technology, art, STEM, media and music are integrating core subjects into their content.
She showed board members a photo of PE teacher Bobby Ekenbarger playing “Mad Scientist” with a group of students, teaching the scientific method while leading exercises.
“He also integrated the concept of inferencing as well during the same week,” the principal said. “Students rotating through STEM resource learned about inferencing through science standards while also learning about the solar system. In a matter of a week’s time, students will have learned about inferencing through every resource class in five different content areas in five different ways.”
Cambridge, aftercare, feathers
Turberville added that her school was recently approved as a Cambridge school and has a thriving 21st Century aftercare program.
“Miss Dana Eatmon is our program director and has done an incredible job,” the principal said of the aftercare program. “This is so popular with our students, and it is so much in demand that we have to turn people away because of such high numbers.”
Turberville said the school is continuing a positive behavior program created by her predecessor, Dr. Melanie Sanders. The Indian 200 Club rewards younger students with feathers for positive behavior. She added that a new positive behavior reward scheme for older students includes the construction of an arcade on campus.
“This has been very successful, and we are continuing to do this with our kindergarten through third-grade students,” she said of the Indian 200 Club. “However, we have seen a lack of interest in our older students, so we have implemented a new (positive behavior) reward program this year for fourth through sixth graders. It has revolutionized our school.”
Reading deficiencies
Turberville said the school is also tackling formidable challenges, like substantial reading deficiencies in third through sixth-grade students.
“We have been meeting this week with grade levels on strategically focused interventions to support students with reading deficiencies,” she said. “We have been training with district reading and ELA specialists to intentionally plan and strategize for small group interventions for foundational reading support.
“Additionally, we have worked hard to restructure the job duties of the guidance counselors at our school,” she added, “taking away administrative-type duties, leaving them time for classroom guidance lessons, group counseling sessions and individual counseling sessions to meet more of our students’ needs.”
