Survey

Who Responded

First Year/New Teacher Survey

Results

There were 64 entries with comments matching the above criteria.

Nimitz HS -  Math  (Regular)
My circumstances were so different than that of a regular teacher. Since I am in Deaf education, my role, my advisor/mentor and vice-principal's roles were different, so I really didn't know how to answer the questions with complete accuracy. I really enjoyed my first year of teaching and love my students! The staff (for the most part) were easy to work with and I loved the department. Thank you for making my first year very enjoyable.

Davis -  1st  (Regular)
I truly love my school that I am teaching at. The administration is the best, they are very supportive and encouraging. I have received so much help from teachers and other support staff. I look forward to my next year at Irving ISD.

Lively -  Elementary Specials  (Regular)
I am working on my master at Dallas Baptist Univeristy: masters of education in kinesiology

Keyes -  2nd  (Bilingual)
Working with a professional and supporting team and admistrators at Keyes has made my first year a GREAT one. I also thank my mentor Lisa Treadway, new teacher liaison Pat Walker and the instructional specialists in my campus. Special thanks to my students and their parents for making this year a sucessful one.

Irving HS -  Science  (Regular)
hostile environment for a first year teacher

de Zavala MS -  Math  (Regular)
I did not have a "mentor teacher" at my school. We had our new teacher liason is all. She was very nice, but I didn't feel like she was that helpful in several instances. I found a couple tenured teachers on my own that I went to when I had questions and concerns. I had also taught and had my own classes last spring, so this wasn't entirely my first year. That helped me a lot. Being an AYP school this year and a math teacher for 8th grade, I feel like we were pulled out A LOT for meetings. There were definitely times that I felt like enough was enough. I didn't feel like I was spending enough time in my classroom being able to implement everything that we were being taught at all the meetings. The meetings were all great and very informative, but it just seemed like there were too many. That is a tough call for me too though. I know they are necessary and as a single parent, I would prefer to do them during the school day and be home at night with my own child.However, sometimes I felt like I was neglecting either my classroom kids or my own at home. All in all, it was a great year and I am very happy here in Irving.

Lively -  1st  (Bilingual)
I started late in the school year and therefore am still considered an intern.I will be attending a summer institute. I also will be taking an on-line ethics course and expect to be more knowledgeable regarding laws. I tried to answer as many survey questions as possible but some of them I marked neutral due to my not having completed my alternative certification training. I would like to say that the suport I have had to date from my program has been very helpful. And the administration at my assigned school has a good discipline plan in place. The parents have also been very supportive and I have seen improvements in student performance. The children are wonderful and I truly am rewarded. My campus mentor is always available including weekends and we meet often.The teacher liasons has also been very supportive and encouraging.

Nimitz HS -  Tech or CareerTech  (Regular)
I think the campus new teacher collaboration was too repetitious of the things we were learning from our certification program. As an elective teacher, I feel that I was being forced to sit through meetings that did not help me in my situation. The meetings always seem to be geared towards meeting the needs of core teachers. The classroom management techniques did not apply to high school student. I think the time would be better spent learning about ordering supplies, entering grades, requesting time off and other general housekeeping things that are required that are required from faculty. It is assumed that new teachers know how to do these things and we do not find out about it until it is time to turn it in.

Lamar MS -  Special Education  (Regular)
I began my teaching career with Irving ISD in April 2008, so alot of the programs were not available for me to complete. Overall, my experience has been a very good one.

Lamar MS -  Math  (Regular)
Not sure I could have effectively taught 4 preps (my 1st year) anywhere but Lamar. I was blessed to have supportive & encouraging administrative support… and be surrounded by such helpful teachers outside my team like: Werner, Morrel & Miles. I could go on and on about the positives at Lamar but I’m sure you already know just how great a school it is. I also appreciated the support & ecnouragment of Mrs. McAlister and Mrs. Peddy, my liaisons from Quality Act and IISD.

Houston MS -  Science  (Regular)
I'm very appreciatve of the support I've received from my campus staff and at the district level, and feel as though I made a good decision in coming here to Irving.

Haley, Thomas -  2nd  (Bilingual)
I did not feel very supported by the principal this year. I had a great group of students and that is what kept me sane. The administration seemed very unorganized and for the most part, didn't seem to care when I had a concern or situation. I am happy to say that I will be teaching at another Irving ISD school next year. I love the district and look forward to working at my new Irving school. I did not want to return to my current school because I didn't have a good experience with the school due to administration. But again, I really like Irving ISD and think it has great things to offer and I am excited to be in my new school next year.

Nimitz HS -  Social Studies  (Regular)
My vice prinipal, who did my reviews, was not very approachable. She was not friendly nor did she have a smile to share. I would say hello to her in the hall and she would just look past me from the year's beginning. . She was quick to point out deficiencies but didn't offer any positive comments nor did she make me feel welcomed. When I tried to approach her during review sessions or other times, she was not open to discussion. Her management style seems to be very theory x. Her demeanor appears that she is on a hunt for failures and not successes. Her behavior indicates a strong tendancy to blaming and not to problem solving. In fact, it has only been since I resigned that she has started to say hello. She does not demonstrate the people skills to be in management. Mrs Jones was highly supportive as my supervisor for varsity cheerleading. Her listening skills and problem solving skill s are very good and very effective when dealing with me as an emmployee. She can be cheerful, friendly and caring yet a strong leader and mentor without being intimidating. She is patient and kind. She is also very good at teaching the teacher her input and guidance has made me believe that I can be an effective teacher and a positive influence in the futures of my students. I value the things I have learned from her. I really enjoyed working with Mrs. Jones this year and look forward to opportunities to work with her in the future. Mr. Campbell was a very good resource this year. This was my first year teaching and my first year as a cheer sponsor. There was a lot to learn with rules and procedures. Mr. Campbell was very approachable and extremely helpful. Mrs. Garrett was not directly involved with my performance though she was always willling to give me ideas and offer and ear when I needed to bounce ideas off someone. I think she is a really wonderful person. She always has a smile and always is willing to guide. I am glad that I had the opportunity to know her. Mrs. Karen Davis was also a really positive influence. Her communication skills relative to the budget and expenditures are excellent. She has been a wonderful help this year. The library staff is wonderful. Their commitment to service is commendable. They are so helpful and clearly enjoy their work. Mrs. Trammell was not my assigned mentor but by default became my mentor. Ms. Bradley had been assigned to me but she is way to busy for that. I hated to interrupt her because she is always so busy with her student. Mrs. Trammell reassigned me to Mrs. Jimerson who was really helpful in the beginning but became in dispose. I would go to Mrs. Trammell for what seemed to me significant and insignificant. She always made time for me and made me feel a welcomed member of the Nimitz staff. I really appreciate her experience and her willingness to help. Finally, the training through Ms. Perkins and Kent Austin was the best training I participated in all year. It was relevant, timely and provided community and cohesion within the department. I learned things that I could immediately incorporate into my class. Ms. Perkins class visits were always positive and areas for improvement were consistently provided in a balanced manner that encouraged me to want to strive to improve and excel. She also, from time to time, sent words or notes of encouragement that made me feel uplifted and inspired. I think this was really great because she has so many teachers to monitor. I always felt like she wanted me to be the best and believed I was capable of being the best.

Townsell -  Special Education  (Regular)
I am very appreciative to have received the opportunity to participate in this program. It helped this stressful year be more bearable.

Union Bower Center -  Special Education  (Regular)
I look forward to being a mentor to a new teacher.

Good -  Kindergarten  (Bilingual)
Excellent school!

MacArthur HS -  Language Arts  (Regular)
The real issue with my experience in Irving ISD was the utter lack of mentoring within my department. My mentor could have helped, but she had not taught my grade level in many years and was unable to provide assistance with lesson direction. The one faculty member that should have been able to support my struggles with delivering the curriculum (not my mentor) was consistently unavailable to me. This experience occured during the 2005-2006 academic year.

Travis MS -  Fine Arts  (Regular)
This is my first year teaching orchestra and my first year in the Irving ISD. I had 6 years experience teaching elementary music and/or band previous to teaching orchestra here. The orchestra staff has been a pleasure to work with and I feel there are many things to look forward to next year in year two.

de Zavala MS -  Math  (Regular)
I have enjoyed teaching this year. Yes I had some difficult days, but overall things were good. I do believe however that there is too much emphasis on TAKS testing. Half of the students do not know or cannot remember the basic things which makes it harder to teach the more in depth curriculum. As teachers we should be able to reteach or teach better those things that students struggle with so that they will be better equipped to succeed in life. The things on the TAKS test are the exact same things that we test them on in school, so why is the test so demanding?

Elliott -  4th  (ESL)
I have absolutely loved working for Irving ISD. Elliott Elementary is a great campus and has many wonderful and helpful staff. I am so greatful for all the new teacher support that Irving ISD offers. I have talked to many of my peers that I graduated with and not any have had as much support as I have. I feel very lucky to be in the position that I am in, and I plan to stay with Irving ISD as long as possible. Thanks for all the help and support!

Lively -  4th  (Bilingual)
For training activities I have considered the amount of days from credit hours I have in my transcript. Therefore, this information is approximately like more than 6 hours will be in "A full day." It will be better if the quetions shows the same format from the transript, so it will be easy to put the exactly amount of time. Thanks for the opportunity to do this survey!

Schulze -  3rd  (ESL)
I believe there needs to be expectations for lead/mentor teachers. It would help all first year teachers if there were set expectations that were communicated to mentor teachers. Most mentor teachers have been teaching for a while and have forgotten all of the things that a first year teacher needs to learn about their school and Irving ISD.

Haley, John -  Kindergarten  (Bilingual)
In the new hire training the Bilingual Teachers recieved some bilingual trainning instead of the Thinking Map training, we were divided up for this. That should not have been done since the district has such a strong enfasis on thinking maps. It would have been more beneficial for the new teachers to receive this at the beginning so we could know the enfasis the district puts on using this strategy. If necessary add a day to new hire training so we are on the same page as the monolingual techers on this issue. Thank you for all the training provided.

Austin MS -  Special Education  (Regular)
Overall I have enjoyed my first year here at Austin Middle School and the support of the administrative staff from AMS and Irving ISD has been a tremendous motivator in facing the challenges that come with being a first year teacher and starting the school year 6 weeks into the school year. Now I have a better expectation of my second year.

Townsell -  4th  (Bilingual)
Even though this was my first year I enjoyed it so much that I plan on teaching for years to come. It was a very difficult year but I did my best to stay on top of what was expected of me. I had a wonderful experience with my students at IISD. I constantly tried to improve my classroom management to better fit my classroom. I would of liked to have more bilingual resources that I could of implemented for my Non-English speakers but I was able to accomodate here and there. Overall the experience was fantastic.

Johnston -  Special Education  (Regular)
I have enjoyed my first year of teaching in Irving ISD expecially in Johnston Elementary. Some days have been challenging but I have sailed through them.

MacArthur HS -  Science  (ESL)
disciplinary actions were unequal among the principals for the same behaviors. i wish that the admin would guide a teacher as to what to read, or attend to improve before end of year.

de Zavala MS -  Math  (Regular)
I will be leaving the teaching profession for a year or two due to family obligations. Irving ISD provided me with a wonderful first-year teaching experience. I could not have asked for a better administration team at my school to assist me during my first-year experience.

MacArthur HS -  Language Arts  (Regular)
New teachers could use more individual support: more planning time; more specific mentoring; additional help as needed or smaller classes. I only had one class during one semester with less than 24 students; most of my classes were closer to 30 students and in some cases more than 30. That's a big load for a new teacher along with all the other required tasks, duties, meetings. We are expected to carry the same load and duties as teachers with much more experience without any additional help or assistance.

Travis MS -  Science  (Regular)
I would recommend Region XI as an Alternative Certification Program; however, I feel that it is very difficult to train someone to be a teacher. You have to be in the situation to truely understand. I feel this year was somewhat difficult because I didn't feel like there was anyone to ask specific subject related questions to. It is a lot of trial and error as a first year teacher. Overall, I am happy with my ability this year and think it will only get better as I gain more experience.

Barton -  1st  (Bilingual)
I enjoy teaching more than anything esle in the world. Sad situations come up so it is up to me ALONE to make something good of it.

Haley, Thomas -  5th  (ESL)
The lack of communication and support from the adminstration made this year very difficult for not only me, but my entire 5th grade team, who were all new to the school, and to teaching elementary. There was little or no, recognition for a job well done for anyone, which I believe had a big impact on staff morale. Campus discipline plans were very inconsistant, which created behavior and discipline issues with the students (ex: tardies, uniform, badges, etc.)

Brandenburg -  2nd  (Bilingual)
I was hired in March so I will not complete a fulll year of teaching in the 2007-08 school year.

Lamar MS -  Language Arts  (Regular)
Teachers that are new to the Irving School District should be made aware of the essay grading process, which I found to be overwhelming.

Haley, Thomas -  Fine Arts  (Regular)
Next year would be more successful if I had administration backing teachers up with regards to discipline. My class sizes were too large! I had a 5th grade class with 34 and a 1st grade class with 32. We need a principal that will get the job done and communicate better. I enjoyed working as an art teacher in IISD because of the Irving Arts Center Art shows every year. It really motivates me and the students to work harder. I also enjoyed my new teacher liason. However, I was never assigned a mentor at my school.

Pierce ECS -  Early Childhood  (Bilingual)
I am really happy for been part of Irving ISD. I Thank You

MacArthur HS -  Language Arts  (Regular)
The "First Year Teaching" responses are based on "My First Year Teaching in Irving." I have been teaching for 20 years.

Kinkeade ECS -  Early Childhood  (Bilingual)
My first year was a wonderful learning and growing experience. I was lucky to have a wonderful liason like Mrs. Pat Walker who listened and addressed my concerns. I was also very lucky to have Miss Melinda Rodriguez as a mentor at my school even though she was not getting paid to mentor me, she was always happy to help me whenever I asked. Furthermore, I love my school Kinkeade ECS and the principal Mrs. Baker and assistant principal Mrs. Dansby who were always available to help and guide me.

Lively -  5th  (Regular)
I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience even coming in at the 2nd semester point. I love teaching and feel like, eventhough there are challenges with every classroom, I am in the right place!

Britain -  3rd  (ESL)
I have enjoyed my first year of teaching in Public Schools and can't wait to get started on my second and third years.

Union Bower Center -  Language Arts  (Regular)
Some of the questions were difficult to answer because I did my teacher training in Virginia, not Texas.

Wheeler Center -  Special Education  (Regular)
Section M (Staff Dev and Training) should not be misinterpreted. I just began teaching in February 2008; therefore, I missed a lot of training opportunities. I should receive adequate staff development beginning this summer.

Brown -  4th  (Regular)
I do not recommend any teachers to be accredited through Mt. View College.

Lee -  Special Education  (Regular)
Special Education was a challenge without a supportive Mentor. Mentor did not want to be burdened with a new teacher. Grades K, 1 and 2 are the most time intensive special ed grades. I have 8 to 12 students who spend up to 840 minutes per week in my class. Each student works at a different level. It has been a difficult year just figuring out what to teach and where to find resources since there is no curriculum in special ed. I did not even know where to start. I will teach Kinder next year on a very close and supportive team.

Nimitz HS -  Science  (Regular)
I had been disillusioned with how the interpretation and application of the system have not really answered the needs of the students, as a whole. So much seemes to be going on and yet the effect is still dismal as it is. I used to love teaching and gave up my medical career because I enjoyed my 1st three years of teaching in my country. When I came here, I thought I can make a difference in students' lives but I have not until now adjusted to the fact that majority of our students here (Texas and everywhere else, as they say,) do not want to be in school and most of them have teen parents or uneducated ones that have not given these students values that should put them in the right path. At the same time, the students are bombarded with a lot of negative influences around them. For achieving studdents, this may not be a problem but for at-risk students, such distractions, often win.

Lamar MS -  Special Education  (Regular)
This is a great district. I am honored to be working for Lamar Middle School. Though I am looking forward to the summer break I can not wait for next year!

Travis MS -  Math  (Regular)
Travis is an amazing school to work for, I love my TEAM!

Brandenburg -  2nd  (Bilingual)
I really enjoy working at this school district and I have learn so much and I am still learning everyday something new.

Travis MS -  Science  (Regular)
I love teaching, but I felt that my first year was extremely more stressful than it should have been. I would have appreciated more administrative support from my principal and the opportunities to observe more teachers. I felt like this year could have more successful for me as a first year teacher and I feel bad that it was not as good as it could have been. I look forward to better, more successful years to come.

Irving HS -  Tech or CareerTech  (Regular)
It has been a great year!!

Gilbert -  4th  (Regular)
I really enjoy working for Irving ISD, especially at Gilbert. Great people, supportive staff -- can't say enough kind things to express how blessed I feel. However it seems we do entirely too much testing of our students. TAKS is brutal, but neccessary for state assessment. However we seem to spend tentirely too much time on other tests. With the TMDS and PAS series reading tests, both of which are supposed to be accurate indicators of student progress, the TEKS checks become a HUGE time drain. Additional time spent testing and cuts into instructional time, not to mention they often tested on content that was not yet taught (a week or two before the window was over) or much worse in my mind, they took aterial we were about to teach and ruined the chance to use those storues to have the students predict events in the story. I am also not including the Gaites testing Read Right students must do, the GT or special Ed testing those populations must do, nor the Bilingual testing and TELPAS writing. In talking to friends from other dostricts, it seems we test excessively. If the PAS and TMDS give good information, will we be dropping the TEKS checks. By the way, as a first year teacher I LOVED the various departmental calandars and D2SC with its helpful hints & activiites. I also found having a person you could email with specific content questions and problems (ie Susan Ramos, Chris Dazer, and Christi Chapman) to be real benefit. All of these amde lesson planning and scheduling much simpler. Hats off to whever decide to go that route, and whoever is involved in their upkeep. THey are well worth the time and effort!

Nimitz HS -  Math  (Regular)
My first year as a teacher although stressfull and dificult was made more difficult by the lack of administrative support. e.g I specifically asked for a v.p to come and observe me in a difficult class, this did not happen and as a result this class remained the most dificult that i had had for the entire year. Some improvements were made but only because my head of department took time out of her very busy schedule to assist me.

Crockett MS -  Science  (Regular)
I have not attended my certification program so I cannot say they have provided me or prepared me for any of the above. I also was not assigned a mentor until well after I had been teaching and did not meet with her regularly.

Crockett MS -  Science  (ESL)
I'm new to the district, but this year was my fourth year of teaching and my third year of teaching science. For this reason, I was not formally assigned a new-teacher liaison or mentor. I talked frequently with existing Crockett staff whom served as my informal mentors. I also served as an informal mentor for a fellow 8th grade science teacher whom joined the Crockett staff at mid-year.

Crockett MS -  Social Studies  (Regular)
Good Year

Crockett MS -  Math  (Regular)
Overall this was a GREAT year, and I really enjoy Irving ISD and Crockett MS.

Irving HS -  Special Education  (Regular)
Region 10 did a good job of preparing me to be a techer. I love Irving HIgh and will stay here as long as I can!

Pierce ECS -  Special Education  (Regular)
I am not sure who my mentor was supposed to be. I think it might have been the diagnostitian, because they said she was supposed to be the lead teacher for SpEd, but I don't think they said she was my mentor. She said I could come if I had questions, but primarily helped only in regard to the IEPs or other paperwork she requeired to do her job. I did meet regularly with the other SpEd teacher, but this is only her third year to teach, and we felt more like we were struggling together than that she was leading me. If she was supposed to be my mentor, then we were able to meet frequently. The New Teacher Liaison is wonderful, and it is brilliant that you now have a Special Ed. liaison. She was tremendously helpful. I commend the district for having her. I am leaving partly because I found the behaviors of Special Ed students to be very difficult, and I was too exhausted when I went home to my own young children. However, I am also leaving because it is no longer a financial necessity. My Teacher Prep Program does very little to prepare teachers for the nitty gritty of Special Ed, yet consistently encourages the clients to take Special Ed. positions. That is a problem.

Pierce ECS -  Early Childhood  (ESL)
I enjoyed working for Irving ISD for my first teaching year. I am relocating to College Station and have a new position teaching in Bryan ISD. I hope my experiences there will be just as memorable as they were in Irving.

Britain -  4th  (Regular)
I plan on staying with the district at this time unless a position would come available to me within the district I live. I drive over 30 miles one way, and gas has been a burden. I do enjoy the lap top computers having immediate access to information.

Johnston -  Special Education  (Regular)
I entered this position in October and found myself in quite a mess, with one teacher out and the other teacher leaving. With the assistance of the administration and coordinators I feel that what could have been a disaster became a very enjoyable situation. I look forward to working here next year.

Stipes -  Special Education  (Regular)
The Special Ed department is amazing. If I ever had any concerns with a student or materials, they were there and ready to help. Thank you so much:) As for the Texas Teachers Certification program, I personally would not recommend that program for any one teaching special education. Special education classes need a lot more information than they have to offer. Because there are so many different levels in the SpEd classroom, a first year teacher needs to know how to address each students' needs, and how to plan a day to work with each student one on one or small group. SpEd teachers need to receive information on how to address IEP goals and planning the lessons. There is so much more to SpEd that this program had to offer.

The Academy -  Tech or CareerTech  (Regular)
None.

Crockett MS -  Math  (Regular)
I am very impressed with both Irving ISD and Crockett MS. The District provides excellent training and support for helping to make our students successful. Angie Gaylord was extremely supportive, up-front, and direct which I very much appreciated. I learned much from James Ramirez, especially when it came to managing students who can be difficult and in improving my parent contact. Jenny Anderson did a fabulous job in organizing and implementing all of the State-mandated testing and made my job much easier because of her planning and dedication. Lesley Kelley, while I did not have as much contact with her as the others, was always friendly, professional, and supportive and I look forward to working next year with her as our 8th grade vice-principal. Teaming made a great impact on both my growth and on the success that our students had this year. I enjoyed working with my team and becoming friends with them.