The Wisdom of Charlie "Tremendous" Jones

"You're the same person today as you'll be in five years except for two things: the people you meet and the books you read," declared Charlie "Tremendous" Jones. In other words, if we want to grow as an educator we need to meet new people and read. Reading is a great way to meet new people--not only the people in the books but the author, too. I've met many authors by contacting them after reading something they wrote that touched me.

Because people and books can have such an impact on who we become it would behoove us to seek out the best books and quality people. The best books can be fiction as well as nonfiction and self-help books. Biographies and autobiographies are great, too.

Charlie "Tremendous" Jones shared a great idea. He said that instead of giving people business cards which people usually throw away give people a book with your name and contact information inside.

Welcome the New Potential Irreplaceables

There are a number of things that a principal can do to make the new potential irreplaceables feel welcome right from the start. It would be great if the principal would take them to lunch before the school year starts. If someone could go to the restaurant ahead of time to leave gifts such as a school t-shirt and personal business cards at each setting would add to the welcome feeling.

Another idea would be to have an Orientation meeting specifically for the new teachers and answer any questions they may have as well as let them know of opportunities that are available for them to grow professionally. It could be helpful to have a panel of teachers who are relatively new to the school to share what they wish someone had told them when they first started to work at the school.

Assigning a buddy as well as a mentor can also help the new teacher navigate the new environment and feel welcome.