All staff and students are part of the Napavine family, regardless of the time spent here. We share a common goal of wanting our school to be the best school in the county and state. The staff and students who have been an integral part of the school community for such a long time must be recognized for their historical knowledge and their ability to withstand the ebb and flow of the educational process. Newcomers should not expect long-standing staff or students to always be willing to change the status quo without thoughtful consideration and discussion. The newcomers need to be welcomed into the school community and their ideas need to be recognized as an opportunity for growth, and long-standing staff should not view them as a threat to existing …show more content…
I realize that I have not been sensitive to tradition and to those staff members who struggle with change. I am not the only one. I have watched my new colleagues struggle in the same way. This causes the division between those who have been at Napavine for quite some time and those who have not. One of the biggest issues is that new teachers are not paired with a mentor or given a new teacher orientation during his/her first year at Napavine. New teachers do not know the history. New teachers do not know the traditions. New teachers are sent to the classroom and left to figure out the ropes on their own. Napavine must start designating mentors to new staff members. I believe this will alleviate some of the issues we have had in the past. Mentors will have the satisfaction of teaching a new staff member the traditions and history of our school and new staff will be given the opportunity to transition to our school. Mentors will feel that their experiences are valued and new teachers will feel that they are being welcomed into the family. I believe that a partnership between the two groups will help build an esteemed collegiate