Whitfield County Schools revamps new teacher orientation due to pandemic

Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, July 8, 2020

During Monday’s meeting, members of the Whitfield County Board of Education learned about how new teacher orientation is being adjusted this year because of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“A lot of things are the same, but a few are new because of COVID-19,” said Karey Williams, Whitfield County Schools’ assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. For example, while new teacher orientation is typically four days, that’s been extended this summer.

Usually, the first day is devoted to human resources (HR) activities, such as employee paper work, and the middle two days are teaching and learning, Williams said. Then, the final day features an induction at their new school.

This year, “we pulled them in about 10 at a time for the HR portion, and we extended teaching and learning days because things are not normal,” she said. Because online education may be a significant part of instruction this year due to the pandemic, “they need to learn our online platform with Google Classroom,” among other things.

Even with the added layers of introductions, this is still “an exciting time, (as) we’re getting ready to meet new employees,” Williams said. “We feel it’s our job to make them feel welcomed and appreciated, (because) they’re doing the most important work of all.”

In order to perform their duties, the new teachers need access to information, because “this is not an easy job,” and “we want them to feel comfortable with us,” so they ask questions, she said. “It’s OK to not know every answer, but it’s not OK to not stop and ask questions.”

Superintendent Judy Gilreath always addresses the new hires to discuss the system’s mission, beliefs and philosophies, Williams said. “It’s important they have that common understanding.”

New teachers also go out to observe “model teachers” multiple times, she said. Those “model teachers” are identified by school principals, who have witnessed their techniques and believe others could benefit from emulating them.

New teachers then engage in group discussions about what they noticed, Williams said. “Seeing it modeled, then practicing it, is the best way.”

Additionally, new teachers are assigned “mentor teachers” in their schools, and the mentors become “the go-to person” for questions from the new teachers, she said. “We have a great retention rate, and I like to think part of that is the support we provide.”

Also Monday, Amy Smith, middle school curriculum director, said Whitfield County Schools served nearly 500,000 meals from mid-March, when school buildings closed due to the pandemic, through June 30. The system also gave away more than 1,200 books to children during that period.

Whitfield County Schools continued its nutrition program even without students in school buildings. During meal deliveries on Fridays this summer, students can also pick up books through the Power Lunches program.

“School never really stopped,” said Smith. Though the “world turned upside down March 13, we are resilient.”

The system enjoyed support in those endeavors from community partners, including the Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia, Dalton State College, the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library and the United Way of Northwest Georgia, Smith said. Forging relationships with community partners is one of the tenets of the system’s “One Whitfield” mantra.

“One Whitfield” also means “pulling the rope in the same direction,” supporting students and families “where they are,” focusing not solely on academics, but, rather, on the “whole child,” and “providing a sense of hope when times are tough,” Smith said. “We will continue to find ways to feed their bodies, minds and spirits.”

Bill Worley, school board chairman, is among those who have been impressed by the outreach efforts. He often sees students receiving food from buses while he’s driving around the county, he said, noting, “It’s pretty awesome.”