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I’m a third year teacher, second year teacher in my preschool classroom. I’ve been given a co-teacher, because the caseload became WAY too big by the end of the school year. (I had almost 40 kids come May!)
She is supposed to take the lead of the AM session and I take the lead of the PM session. We said we’d take turns planning the weeks, and I took week 1 to let her get her feet wet. Yesterday was our first day, and I took the lead of both classes so that she could see what it was like. I asked her if she wanted to take the lead of her class today, and she said she needed more time.
So, that leads me to ask how long should I be patient? Because I’m tired. It’s day 2 and I’m tired. My para and my 7yo who is hanging out with me because his school hasn’t started yet showed more initiative than my new co-teacher
Any suggestions on being supportive? I feel like I don’t know the middle ground between “me do everything” and “ok, I’m going to plan on a different room - good luck today!”
Maybe offer some empathy and share with her a time when you were anxious about something, but it turned out fine. Another thing I would do is let her know you want to make a plan. Simply ask her when she thinks she’ll be ready to take on the AM. Ask her what she needs in order to feel ready. Write out the plan together and follow it. Maybe she could start by taking control of part of the morning and working her way up. Let her know you’re there to answer questions and help coach her, but the best way to learn is by diving in.
I would go through all of the subjects and plans with her including any behavior mods you use in class. I feel that many teachers are scared or not fully confident in behavior mods especially those associated with special education needs. Give her confidence in her ability to tackle the classroom from any angle or issue.