Before every school year, teachers and leaders return a few weeks early to begin professional development and connect with their teams. One of the unique ways KIPP prepares teachers for success who haven’t taught at a KIPP school before, is through the “New to KIPP” (NTK) training.
Donna Smith, KIPP Nashville’s Managing Director of Leadership Development, says “NTK is meant to provide support for teachers before students enter the building. It sets the groundwork for a strong adult culture, the joy we want to see in classrooms, and prepares teachers with the type of content they’ll be teaching in a way that works for students.”
Smith, who is in her twentieth year of education and oversees the NTK experience, says the goal is to create an environment where teachers can learn and create connections.
“My sole goal is to see our students win, and the best way to win and have success is for our teachers and leaders to be supported and have the resources and tools they need to grow in their roles so they can push outcomes for our kids.”
For Samantha Davis, who is entering her fourteenth year of teaching, the NTK sessions offered a surprising change in perspective.
“I think it was just seeing that things I thought were effective in my former classroom were working, but that there’s room to get better, to get my students to go higher.”
Throughout the week, all NTK participants, whether you are a first year teacher or in your fifteenth year, go through the same series of training. That training is broken down into four phases.
Smith explains it this way, “It is either going to affirm practices they’re already doing, validate the need for teachers to change what they’re doing, add to their toolbox of strategies to use, especially for our newer teachers, and for some teachers, it’s mindset shift as you engage into a new organization and you’re learning the expectations. NTK will feed all those facets and get everyone working toward a common goal to create a strong platform for learning.”
Manny Dejesus moved to Nashville from New York state to become the PE teacher at KIPP Antioch Global Middle School.
“I would say take the leap. Come in with an open mindset and be ready to be shocked. Get ready for a room and a family of people who actually care about you being a good teacher, and being the best person you can be so you can help the younger generation become the best version of themselves.”
In prior experiences, Dejesus describes only getting a few days of prep time before students walked in the doors. He says the extra time dedicated to this type of professional development at KIPP has been critical to helping him get ready for the first day of school.
“The NTK PD really opened my eyes and shifted my mindset about what it takes to be a teacher. It gave me new tools to add to my teacher bag of things to use in the classroom, and it allowed me to grow in areas I didn’t even think about when I was teaching. It makes me feel special, makes me feel wanted, just the fact that they put the time and effort to grow their teachers and their skills of teaching.
For first-year teacher, Taylar Hastings, the choice to accept a job at KIPP was simple.
“I wanted to be in a place where team was in the center, and excellence was the standard not just for the students, but for the staff. I want to be in a place where I can grow and consistently the bar is raised higher.”
Growth and development is core to KIPP’s identity, says Smith, and every teammates, regardless of title or position, can expect to experience meaningful growth aligned to their specific career goals.
Justin Braman, who will teach PE at KIPP Antioch College Prep Elementary School, says, “It definitely was a great and exhausting week, but it was a really good experience and I left fulfilled. I’m really looking forward to getting to know all my students and getting them to love PE.”
