Do You Offer a Program?

My first question to the recruiters at Hallandale Elementary was “Do you offer a program that helps new teachers make the transition for college courses to the classroom?” The answer that accompanied a large smile was “Yes, our NESS program is intended to help first year teachers adapt to classroom instruction.”

The initial NESS orientation offered at Hallandale Elementary provided to all new teachers was incredibly helpful to me. As a group, we attended school before the majority of staff returned from their summer vacations. Although we entered an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar faces, we soon became a tightly knit group. It was pleasant surrounded by those in a similar situation. I found it particularly confidence inspiring interacting with my peers before being overwhelmed by a large group of experienced teachers.

Upon arrival at Hallandale Elementary, I was paired with an experienced teacher, Ms. Carolina Zambrano. Ms. Zambrano was caring, compassionate, reliable, and understanding. These qualities made her approachable, one of the most important qualities of a NESS coach. I felt comfortable asking her any question. She was patient and explained that feeling overwhelmed was natural. Collaboratively, NESS coaches and NESS new educators were able to develop plans that would combat the problems we were experiencing in the classroom and we were able to celebrate our successes as a team.

My personal favorite part of the NESS program was that due to its small size, it felt much like a small community. Although we were all very different individuals, we were able to come together as a group with a common goal. In my opinion that goal was slowly developing a comfort level with the school. I think the NESS program was incredibly successful and I would most certainly recommend it to any district that would like to help new teachers become more comfortable in their new homes.

Source: John Hoolihan, Hallandale Elementary