The Central Okanagan School District 23 is located on Okanagan Territory and encompasses four municipalities (Peachland, West Kelowna, Kelowna, Lake Country) and the Regional District of Central Okanagan. There are 43 schools and 22,000 students. The goal of the school district is for each K-12 student to “provide evidence of being a learner, thinker, innovator, collaborator and contributor.” We connected with six early career teachers in School District 23. All six of these teachers are engaged in a mentorship program with a literacy focus and have three or less years of teaching experience. They are teaching in a variety of contexts but they share a desire to make a difference and a love of learning and teaching.
Here are some of their thoughts about what it is like to teach and learn in School District 23:
Why did you choose to start your career in SD 23?
“I am from the area and Kelowna is a beautiful place to live. I also went to the local university and had an opportunity to connect school district staff who made the district very attractive.”
“I went to school here and was offered a job after graduation. I have a lot of mentors and people to turn to for help.”
“Teaching is a demanding career and having my family close by for support was important to me. I really only applied to districts where I had family nearby, luckily I have a big family so it included a lot of areas. But I do not think I would be very happy teaching somewhere away from these emotional support systems. I also was very lucky to be hired in my preferred district.”
What has been the biggest surprise in your first years of teaching?
“The amazing energy and support of my colleagues.”
“How little you make after paying for everything. How slow the process is to move up in seniority.”
“The diversity in classrooms is the biggest surprise so far.”
“How hard it can be to use the best practices. I learned the most current methods, but it is a great deal of work to apply them in a school where these techniques aren’t used yet. It requires lots of explaining and justifying, and is often looked down upon in favour of the old “tried and true” methods.”
What are you learning and how is it going?
“I am learning to balance the needs of my new role as a teacher with my personal and family life. I am also trying to learn how to build connections with student families and manage meaningful contact.
“I’m learning how to provide strong instruction that meets all kids’ needs while maintaining a reasonable work-life balance.”
“I am learning how to set up a strong literacy program for my students. It seems to be going really well, as I am enjoying teaching the materials and my students are enjoying learning and practicing the skills. It is half way through the year and I have just finished some writing conferences. I have seen great improvements in my students’ abilities and confidence levels in regards to their writing.”
“I am learning how to teach writing using the best practices available. It is going well, as I am supported by the district and offers the chance to work with Adrienne Gear to help my students.”
“I’m focusing on developing a strong literacy program for my students. Thankfully I have a lot of support in the district and at my school.”
What professional supports have been the most significant for you as you are beginning your career?
“The administrators and staff at my school have been supporting me very actively and with great respect and care.”
“I am bolstered by my district mentorship group, which includes educators in many different roles and stages of experience. They help me to feel connected and give a sense of purposeful orientation in my professional growth. With them, I belong to a community who understands me. I can safely voice my challenges and questions, share success, get helpful advice, and encounter new perspectives and ideas.”
“The other professional support that has been really helpful is having been given the name of a wonderful teacher who had been teaching for many years in many grades and who is willing to always answer my questions, however big or small. My principal made sure to introduce us, so that I would have a mentor to the school’s culture. It is great having someone in my school that can give me advice from a teacher’s perspective and is a mentor to me. I think if I were to join a new school and were not given a school mentor (similar to how we buddy up the new students in our classrooms), my experience would have been much different. Some of my teacher friends shared with me that sometimes they were without a school mentor, and without a mentor in the school that their first few weeks before getting to know everyone sounded a lot harder and lonelier.”