Retaining African American Teachers Through Mentoring, Reflection, and Reciprocal Journaling

Module by: Antoinette Ellison, Michael Jazzar

Summary: A severe shortage of African American teachers in K-12 public education has been accelerated by their increased teacher departures from the profession. In attempts to reverse this trend, the authors of this study present insight from their investigation that encourages administrators to implement mentoring, reflection, and reciprocal journaling to retain African American teachers by enhancing their professional competence in schools throughout America. Insight of national significance includes enhancements gained from mentoring and reciprocal journaling include, but are not limited to, teacher retention, teacher developed lesson plans, effective classroom discipline, and more meaningful teacher-student relationships.

The most critical challenge of public schools across the nation is the challenge to place a highly qualified teacher in every classroom set into high gear by No Child Left Behind. This challenge becomes increasingly difficult in the face of the most dramatic teacher shortage in the history of public schools. Increased student enrollment, increased number of teachers at retirement age, and poor teacher retention has proven to be a deadly combination. There are many and varied opinions regarding where the teacher shortage has the greatest impact. Teacher shortage will continue to have the greatest impact in science classrooms across the nation (Mangrubang, 2005). Students who need the most are taught by teachers who are the least qualified (Howard, 2003). Teacher shortage has the greatest impact on students of urban schools (Howard, 2003). The teacher shortage especially in special education has reached crisis proportions (Brownell, Ross, Colon, & McCallom, 2005).

Even at greater straights, the severe shortage of African American teachers is dire. The number of African American teachers in public schools has been on the decline since the 1970’s (Gay & Howard, 2000). As a result, approximately 86% of elementary and secondary teachers across the nation are white while the number of minority students in classrooms across the nation continues to rise (Brownell, Ross, Colon, & McCallom, 2005). Most public school teachers are white, middle class, and female while one in three schoolchildren represent a nontraditional racial, ethnic, religious, or linguistic background (Peterson, Cross, & Johnson, 2000). The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future in 1996 predict that the number of minority students in classrooms will change to one in two by the year 2025. The twofold problem is there is a need to recruit African American teachers and there is a need to retain the African American teachers who enter the profession (Tillman, 2003).

Many African American teachers in urban school settings leave the profession 3 to 5 years after being hired (Recruiting New Teachers Report, 2000). Some inner city schools have an African American teacher turnover rate as high as 50 percent (Tillman, 2003). Teachers who leave the profession often report overwhelming workload, deadlines, job recognition, administrative support, and isolation as reasons for departure. In order to retain teachers in the profession, it is very important that teachers are supported (Jazzar & Algozzine, 2006).

In order to support teachers, at least three essentials need to be present. First, beginning teachers must be able to develop their skills and they need to learn how to become reflective about their teaching practices (Peterson, Cross, & Johnson, 2000). Beginning teachers also need a more experienced teacher to help them to develop their reflective skills and to broaden their repertoire of teaching practices (Haack & Smith, 2000). Lastly and most importantly, teachers need time. Beginning teachers need time to reflect, time to develop their skills, and time to participate in open, professional dialogue with a more experienced teacher mentor (Tillman, 2003).

Mentoring

A growing trend, teacher mentoring allows experienced teachers to pass on knowledge, skills and dispositions they have learned from years of experience (Jazzar & Algozzine, 2006). Successful mentoring results in a cooperative arrangement between peers in which new members of the teaching profession are provided ongoing assistance and support by one or more skillful and experienced teachers (Gabriel, 2005). The type of assistance often needed by new African American teachers is twofold: professional competence and the adjustment of the teacher as a member of the school community (Tillman, 2003). These two competencies include, but are not limited to, classroom management, school community assimilation, parent/guardian interaction, alignment of the curriculum, diversity in the classroom, networking, knowledge of teacher evaluation, use of volunteers, time management, knowledge of how to use resources, and knowledge of legal issues (Drago-Severson, 2004; Gabriel, 2005; Whitaker, 2004). In the final analysis, in order for mentoring to be successful, it must be based on a relationship that is mutually beneficial between the mentor(s) and the protégé and engage all participants in reflective sharing (Tillman, 2003).

Reflection

Reflective thought is defined as “active, persistent, and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of grounds that support it and the further conclusions to which it tends” (Dewey, 1933). Teachers who do not have reflective inquiry skills tend to make decisions based on assumptions as opposed to systematically making decisions based on evidence. Reflective thought was essential (Dewey, 1933):

It emancipates us from merely impulsive and merely routine activity…enables us to direct our activities with foresight and to plan according to ends-in-view, or purposes of which we are aware…to act in deliberate and intentional fashion…to know what we are about when we act. It converts action that is merely appetitive, blind, and impulsive into intelligent action. (p. 17)

Dewey’s beliefs in challenging teachers to become reflective practitioners were echoed by many researchers (Shon, 1987; Tillman, 2003; Valli, 1997). The teaching profession, like other professions- such as medicine, law, clergy, and architecture - is a profession that requires reflective thinking. Teachers are most effective decision makers when they are reflective about their decisions instead of relying solely on technical, linear prescribed formulas (Howard, 2003). Teachers who use reflective inquiry skills are able to take responsibility for their classrooms (Valli, 1997). They develop and present more culturally appropriate lessons and make adjustments based on the students’ responses. Instead of placing the blame on the students, they look within and make adjustments in the classroom to meet the needs of the students. Reflective teachers carefully consider their professional responsibility and trust their own inner voice as well as the voice of others (Brownell, Ross, Colon, & McCallum, 2005). They consider themselves to be change agents, not victims, and discover value in reciprocal journaling (Tillman, 2003).

Reciprocal Journaling

Although there are several professional benefits to journaling, little attention has been given to journaling as a tool for professional development. By using a journal, teachers have an opportunity to express their feelings regarding their students, the classroom environment, as well as the school environment while maintaining confidentiality (Mangrubang, 2005). Journaling also provides an opportunity for teachers to mirror themselves. By writing about their teaching practices, teachers have an opportunity to learn from themselves. By recording thoughts and actions, teachers become more self confident. Journaling can also be a tool used for problem solving and decision making (Borwnell, Ross, Colon, & McCallum, 2005).

Journaling is a time efficient way to reflect on teaching practices. Only three tools are required: a writing utensil, paper, and an open mind. A simple fifteen minute session during planning, between classes, before or after school, or at home in the evening can open the door to reflection. Journaling is also a flexible tool. Teachers can write at home, at school, during the day, in the evening, or any time or place that is convenient to them.

Reciprocal journaling describes a private, written conversation between two people (Madson & Hancock, 2002). It is a process where teachers write in their journals keeping in mind that their mentor will read their thoughts. The mentor reads the thoughts and responds. The content of the journal provides an outline for a structured conversation. At consistent intervals, the teacher and mentor meet to discuss issues raised in the journaling process. Reciprocal journaling specifies thoughts, feelings, and expectations; facilitates and improves communication; and provides ample opportunity for effective mentoring for particularly African American teachers (Valli, 1997).

Purpose Of The Study

So what happens when reciprocal journaling, reflection, and mentoring are combined? What saving grace would mentoring, reflection, and reciprocal journaling have on teacher retention? Specifically, what impact would this mentoring method have on retaining African American teachers of whom there are greatest declines in attrition? In pursuit of answers to these questions, the investigators of this study pursued the following research design.

Methodology Of The Study

The Setting

This discussion is based on the results of case studies in a large, urban elementary school located in the heart of a historical African American community. The elementary school serves students in grades kindergarten through 5. Of the 601 students, 68% are African American and 28% are Hispanic. Forty percent of the students have been identified as having a learning disability. Thirty six percent of the students receive speech and language services. Over 90% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The staff is comprised of fifty two certified teachers, 3 administrators, nineteen instructional assistants, and twenty eight other staff (cafeteria staff, custodial staff, secretarial staff, social workers, school nurse, etc). Forty-six percent of the teachers have less than three years of experience.

Furthermore, in the 2003-2004 school year, the school achieved high growth and was identified as a school of progress. Despite this recognition, the school did not reach their adequate yearly progress goals in reading for the Hispanic sub group. As a result, the school is in the state of school improvement.

This school was selected for this study because it has the highest attrition rate of first year African American teachers when compared to all schools in a sixteen school district area. In addition, it was the only school to grant permission to conduct this study due to the newness of this mentoring method and the personal disclosures often characteristic of mentoring, reflection and reciprocal journaling.

The Sample

The willing participants of the study, constituting a nonprobality sampling (Mertler & Charles, 2005), consisted of three African American first year teachers in their early twenties and an African American female school administrator in her thirties. The first participant, Delores, is a first year third grade teacher. Delores is a confident 22 year old African American woman who was raised in a two parent middle class family. She was a successful student in public schools and proudly states that she breezed through college with very little effort. In the classroom, Delores seems comfortable with the curricular content and with her students. Although she manages her classroom well, she admits that she is frequently surprised by her students’ behavior and lack of motivation. Delores writes excellent lesson plans and follows them exactly. She spends all of her free time in her mentor’s office simply chatting. She is reluctant to participate in any real dialogue regarding her teaching practices and how she can improve. She frequently compares herself to the other first year teachers and feels that she is well above them. Her journal entries are very academic and superficial. She agreed to participate in this study despite her belief that she does not need a mentor.

The second participant, Toni, a first year 4th grade teacher, is a 23 year old African American woman who was raised by her father in a middle class household. She proudly shares that she graduated from high school at the age of sixteen. Despite that accomplishment, she did not graduate from college until seven years later. She admits that she was not focused in school and had a very difficult time choosing a major. She shares that she chose education as a last effort to graduate. From the beginning, her classroom has been very disorganized and cluttered. She has difficulty writing lesson plans and is frequently delinquent in turning them in. She has struggled to learn the curriculum but has developed relationships with her students. She is frequently observed laughing, joking, and playing games with her students. Her students appear to enjoy her. Her classroom is often noisy and chaotic. Toni seems to have a high tolerance for the noise. She spends all of her free time in her mentor’s office. Her mentor has strongly encouraged Toni to use her time organizing her classroom and planning her lessons. Although Toni speaks confidently about her teaching, she openly writes from her heart in her journal and reveals how confused she is. She immediately agreed to participate in the study and seemed relieved to know that she would have a mentor.

The third participant, Jasmine, a first year second grade teacher, is a 25 year old African American woman who was raised by her grandmother in a low income urban neighborhood. She speaks fondly of her grandmother. She has a friendly personality and a good sense of humor. She has gone out of her way to meet and become friends with all staff members including the custodians, secretaries, and cafeteria workers. She spends her planning period socializing with staff members. Her classroom is very bright and colorful. She has put a great deal of time and money into making her classroom inviting. The students appear to be very comfortable and enjoy their class. Her students are always involved in activities. There is little teacher directed instruction. Although Jasmine willingly agreed to be a participant in the study and seemed very excited, she avoids her mentor. She frequently has to be reminded to write in her journal and turn it in.

Terry, the fourth participant, is a 33 year old African American female who serves the school as an administrator. She has four years of teaching experience and six years of administrative experience. For the last six years, her main responsibilities have included informally observing teachers and providing feedback to support professional development. She has also served informally as the mentor to all first year teachers. She spends a great deal of time in the classrooms of first year teachers. She also makes her office available to first year teachers during their planning periods for sharing and support.

Data Analysis

Data were collected using a combination of dialogic journaling and personalistic reflection, and individual interviews. As implemented by this study, dialogic journaling is a process whereby individuals have private written conversations with each other over an extended period of time (Garmon, 2001). Personalistic reflection is where individuals share personal and relational issues while concentrating on specified goals (Valli, 1997). The combination of dialogic journaling and personalistic reflection provided participants in this study with a methodology fostering opportunities for communication where participants explored and documented their thoughts, feelings, attitudes and behaviors about the school community.

Specifically, the three first year teachers were asked to write in their journals regarding their teaching experience and to turn the journals in weekly to their mentor. The mentor read the journals and responded. The mentor visited each classroom weekly for an informal observation. The mentor also met individually with each teacher weekly for one hour to discuss issues that were brought up in journaling as well as classroom observations. At times when the teachers seemed to be experiencing similar issues, the mentor met with all three teachers for an open discussion. The mentor developed an outline for all of the meetings to make sure that the discussions were structured and allowed opportunities for reflection.

Results

The results revealed several common themes felt by the three teachers. One of the concerns was lack of administrative support from the school principal. All three teachers expected to have more time to talk directly to the principal. They also expected to receive more verbal support and praise from the principal. Toni stated it best in her journal as she described an informal post observation conference with the principal.

I have been well received by the students and faculty but I do not receive anything from [the principal]. She must be upset with me. I was very depressed Tuesday after she hauled me into the office. It shocked me that I had such an opposite way of looking at things. I was so concerned with getting the students prepared for the test that I did not notice the behavior. I think I have a high tolerance for noise and don’t notice it. I was really shocked when [the principal] said that she had been coming into my classroom and had observed noise and confusion. I am not happy about some of the behavior problems but I had not heard from [the principal] that this was a problem.

Toni had very little contact with the principal. The principal would observe Toni during walk through observations. At those times, she mentioned to Jasmine that she was concerned about the classroom management. The principal observed what she considered to be mass chaos. Toni did not see it that way. She was focused on making sure that the students were prepared for the test. She basically ignored the inappropriate behavior.

The mentor asked the three teachers to describe their vision of the role of the principal. All of the teachers expected the principal to be much more hands on. The mentor explained the many responsibilities of the principal. She also explained that the school was designed in grade level teams. The teachers were encouraged to increase interaction with their colleagues and support one another.

Two of the teachers used the journals to talk about their difficulty connecting with the students. Delores and Toni are from middle class backgrounds. They thought that they would be able to connect to the students simply because they were African American and their students were African American. Delores described her feelings:

I am concerned that I am too old fashioned to relate to the students in this situation. I was raised so differently. The children do not relate to me the way that they relate to Mr. [P.E. teacher]. They are excited about his life, his car, etc. I worry that I do not have the right personality for this profession. I had made up my mind after last night that I would resign and not come back after Christmas.

It was surprising that Delores felt this way as outward signs seemed to depict the opposite. She seemed to relate so well to her students. She did frequently talk about how “different” “these students” were. The mentor met with the three teachers to discuss the make up of the school population on a more personal level. Jasmine grew up in the same situation as many of the students. This conversation gave her an opportunity to share about herself.

Although Toni attributed the “noise” in her classroom to the students learning, she described serious classroom management issues in her journal. She described these problems in a very personal way. She seemed to really internalize the students’ behavior and take their disrespect very personally.

I cannot get the class under control. They keep ignoring me. They run around the room. Time out does not work. I feel like a jailor in a prison ward.

Today the students were terrible to me. I don’t know what to do with them. They went crazy on me. They were very disrespectful to me.

After weekly conversations with Toni regarding structured, developmentally appropriate lesson planning, classroom management strategies, and strategies to use when working with minority students and students facing issues of poverty, she began to feel better about her role as a teacher.

The mentor noticed that the teachers seemed to write much more on particularly bad days and very little if anything on good days. The teachers rarely described their successes. The mentor challenged the teachers to identify five positive aspects of each day. The teachers really struggled with this. They each were able to admit that they were pessimistic and negative about their work. The mentor challenged them to change her way of thinking. The journal entries below reflect some of the more positive thinking.

I felt good about some of the things we discussed. I am going to try to implement some of the ideas we discussed. I am also going to try to be more relaxed and enjoy teaching.

I am getting more confident with my classes. I can feel myself not getting upset about small things.

I notice that I am much more relaxed when I have confidence in my lesson plan. I can’t get over how great I feel when the lesson works and the class goes well. It is such a joy.

I can’t get over how great everything is going now. The kids are doing great.

Summary Of The Findings

Before beginning the mentoring relationship, the teachers were stressed at times and apathetic at other times. They did not feel supported, and on different occasions, each contemplating resigning. At times they felt disconnected with the students and the faculty, and felt very isolated. They experienced trouble planning appropriate lessons and managing their classrooms.

Through mentoring, reflection, and reciprocal journaling, the teachers who participated in this study were able to gain greater insight into constructing lesson plans and enhance their skills in making connections to students and faculty. All three teachers were provided the opportunity of vocalizing their displeasure regarding what they perceived as a lack of administrative support. During the semester of mentoring, the teachers were able to grow professionally as well as personally.

A common theme communicated by all participants was the absence of principal-teacher interaction, instructional feedback, and professional support. From the study it became clear that principals should set aside sufficient and specific times to communicate with new African American teachers in urban schools who are more likely to leave their positions. New teachers need to know their principals expectations of them and their commitment to professional development.

The mentor also developed better insight into the problems new teachers face. The teachers often turned to their mentor to discuss classroom related problems once the mentor-protégé relationship was formed. With increased understanding, the mentor was able to provide better support for the new teachers.

Mentoring, reflection and reciprocal journaling opened channels of communication leading to professional enhancement. Reciprocal journaling helps to alleviate the time commitment. Protégés are able to write in their journal at their convenience and mentors have an opportunity to respond at a time that works for them. Both mentors and protégés feel more comfortable being honest within written rather than verbal communications. Once an issue is brought up in writing, it is easier to discuss verbally. This leads to a trusting, supportive relationship that encourages professional and personal growth.

Additional investigations are needed that empirically attain correlations between retaining African American teachers and mentoring, reflection, and reciprocal journaling. This study, although important to opening the dialog of the importance of this mentoring method as a form of professional development, had its limitations found in its inability to conduct a probability sampling. Future investigations need to attain a probability sampling in which the probability (likelihood) of each member of the population being selected for the sample and in which there is consistent probability of selection for each member of the population (Mertler & Charles, 2005). Inasmuch as this study used nonprobability sampling (one willing school with only volunteer participants), the results of this study should only be generalized to the population with great caution.

With inner city schools faced with African American teacher departures of more than 50% within the first five years, it is clear that beginning teachers need to develop skills in effective classroom discipline, lesson plan construction, and meaningful mentor-protégé relationships. This study also clarified the need for increased teacher-principal interaction. Although mentoring, reflection, and reciprocal journaling may not be the only solution,it seems to offer viable solutions to retaining African American teachers. The time for principals and others to consider its implementation is now!

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This work is licensed by Antoinette Ellison and Michael Jazzar under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 2.0).

Last edited by National Council of Professors of Educational Administration on Jan 19, 2007 3:33 pm US/Central.