A Coach’s Guide To Supporting Every New Teacher

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A coach’s guide to supporting every new teacher

By Sharron Helmke

Categories: Career pathways, Coaching, Learning designs, Mentoring & induction, Personalization

When we think of new teachers and the support they need, we often think of novice teachers who are newly certified with some student teaching experience. But in the current hiring environment, it’s important to broaden our thinking and recognize there are many types of new teachers, and they all need support so they and their students can flourish. For example, experienced teachers who are new to your district or school may be dealing with a curriculum that’s new to them, a different grade level than their prior experience, or a very different mix of learners. A new teacher who comes to the profession through a nontraditional path may be working on a provisional teaching certificate or an emergency certification and therefore not have as

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References

Helmke, S. (2026). The coaching continuum: Providing the right support when it matters. Learning Forward Blog. learnfwd.org/9y9

Killion, J. & Harrison, C. (2017). Taking the lead: New roles for teachers and school-based coaches (2nd ed.). Learning Forward.

Sharron Helmke

Senior Vice President, Professional Services at Learning Forward | + posts

Sharron Helmke, senior vice president of professional services at Learning Forward, designs and manages the organization’s consulting service programs that support state, regional, and local organizations in translating their improvement and learning goals into custom-designed high-quality professional learning programs that result in scalable and sustainable change. During her twenty-plus years in education she has served in a variety of roles at the campus and district levels, including teacher, instructional coach, and district-based program administrator. She is an international coaching federation certified professional coach, a Gestalt professional coach, and a trauma-informed care provider, all of which inform her approach to supporting educators. She is the author of numerous professional articles, including “To make a difference for every student, give every new teacher a mentor” in the August 2022 issue of The Learning Journal.