Teaching is, hands down, one of the hardest jobs on earth! It's the most amazing, frustrating, energizing, exhausting, wonderful, scary experience all rolled into one. Too often, teachers try to tackle the ups and downs of our profession on their own. Whether you are a veteran teacher or a first-year educator, there's a growing body of research illustrating the power of mentor support as one way to improve instructional practice, enhance wellness and well-being, and increase teacher retention.
New Teacher Support has adopted the marigold as its symbol because we believe in the marigold effect. When gardeners want to protect young, vulnerable plants, they often plant companion plants, like marigolds, next to them. These companion plants emit certain chemicals that protect the young plants from dangers like worms, rodents, and disease. In protecting the new plants, they nurture their growth. -
Program mentors
-
Site administrators
-
Grade-level partners
-
Custodial, office, or cafeteria staff
-
District support staff like MTSS Specialists, FCLs, or department TOSAs
January 2025 Marigolds
[TEXT HERE}
December 2024 Marigold
Congratulations to Program Specialist, Special Education, Jillian Hall, on being this month's Marigold! We are deeply grateful for your dedication, your big heart, and your tireless advocacy for both students and teachers. These “marigold actions” are definitely worth celebrating and we're beyond excited to showcase you this month!
November 2024 Marigolds
Congratulations to Mentor Kimberly Rivera and New Teachers Halle Uhl, Monelle Valdellon, Andrew Whistance, and Shanna Nollette on being this month's Marigolds! Thank you for exemplifying the lessons of the marigold in the work you do together as a team. We're beyond excited to showcase all of you this month!
October 2024 Marigolds
Congratulations to this month's recipients for exemplifying the characteristics that take educators to the status of "Marigold!" Many of our Marigold Moments highlight mentors, their mentees, and their collaborative work. This is where the heart of our marigold community lives! But there is another group of V.I.Ms or Very Important Marigolds - our site administrators - and those are the marigolds we're celebrating this month. Site administrators are key to creating the optimal conditions for all teachers to thrive on our campuses. Thank you for exemplifying ways of doing that work on your site! “Leaders: If you want to stop the exodus of teachers from your school, create a nourishing, healthy community.” -Elena Aguilar, Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators.
September 2024 Marigolds
Congratulations to this month's recipients for exemplifying the characteristics that take educators to the status of "Marigold!" Many of our Marigold Moments highlight mentors and their mentees, and the collaborative work they do together. But marigolds are everywhere in our system, and we spotted several of them during our New Hire Academy sessions in July and the TR Back-to-School PDs in August. We're celebrating those connections this month. Whether a new teacher or a seasoned veteran, we all need a supportive community around us. Thank you for exemplifying ways of doing just that! “Social support is one of the most important mechanisms by which new and novice educators build their resilience.” -Elena Aguilar, Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators.
- Academics
- Assessment & Accountability
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Programs
- School Leadership
- Student Engagement
