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To engage young teachers, principals should accomodate their individual needs and create opportunities for collaboration.
Young teachers have very different ideas than their veteran colleagues about what they want, need, and have to offer.
Multigenerational faculties benefit from personalized professional development and customized schedules.
You, as a school administrator, are facing the perfect storm: a growing number of baby boomers retiring each year, an absence of experienced teachers to take their place, and high turnover among young teachers. The need to hire and retain a new generation of teachers is one of the biggest challenges facing school administrators. To fill these vacancies, you must develop a plan for mentoring new teachers and retaining the expertise of your veteran teachers. But first, it will help if you understand how young teachers are different than previous generations and what they need and expect from you.
Leading Gen Y
Born in the 1980s and 1990s, Generation Y is tech savvy, values personal connections, and multitasks with ease. If Gen Xers feel comfortable with technology, Gen Yers have it in their DNA. By the time they entered middle school, they had the Internet, e-mail, and their own cell phones. They also want to know all about you and don't mind revealing information about themselves. They are used to being on the go, balancing soccer practice and piano lessons, and doing their homework while riding in the family minivan. Their parents doted on them and are often referred to as "helicopter parents" for being quick to drop in and rescue their kids at a moment's notice. As a result, Gen Y teachers expect certain benefits from you. Although the entire faculty will appreciate those things, for young teachers, they are necessary.
Offer face time. If you want to retain young teachers, you must keep in mind that they received lots of feedback and attention from their parents. If you have a large staff, then you will need to delegate the leadership role carefully and verify that the mentor/ coach is interacting daily with new teachers. It is not sufficient to say, "Let me know if you have any problems or need anything." That may work with teachers who have experience, but it will not be effective with Gen...