TWT Help Desk: What if I’m starting the year with a new program?

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The Context: Recent shifts in literacy legislation and instructional trends have led many districts to implement new literacy programs. This change brings various emotions: excitement for new materials, confusion about new expectations, sadness over losing familiar (and often effective) practices, and frustration with the time-consuming nature of learning a new resource.

Why It Matters: Facing new challenges is less stressful when we understand our goals and reasons. As a literacy coordinator, I have spent the past three years working with teachers in my district to pilot, adopt, and implement new resources to serve our writers (and readers) in grades K-5. Although the process has gone smoothly, I’ve learned valuable lessons for both teachers and leaders.

Lesson #1: Beware of bias.

We all bring our biases and feelings to our work as educators, and that’s normal. However, social media makes it easy to see others’ opinions quickly. A search for any program will reveal both strong supporters and harsh critics. These unfiltered opinions can shape your view before you’ve even used the materials. Be cautious and try to form your own opinions before being influenced by others.

Lesson #2: Set realistic expectations and healthy boundaries for yourself. 

I have yet to meet a teacher who doesn’t strive to achieve perfection. For even the most experienced teachers, a new program sometimes feels like starting from scratch. Just like we wouldn’t expect our students to show mastery of something new after only a brief introduction and minimal practice, we also can’t demand it of ourselves. Be realistic, have patience, and be willing to permit yourself to show a little imperfection. (Hint: This post might also be a good one to share with administrators. Principals are well-versed in the demands of implementing something new, but sometimes act–and react!–based on pressure they feel from the district or having limited understanding about the ins and outs of the new resource.)

Lesson #3: Embrace your expertise. 

In complement to the tip above, recognize the perfection of your craft in your unfamiliarity with a new set of resources. The writing process hasn’t changed. Your school community hasn’t changed. The qualities of a skilled and independent writer haven’t changed. Your philosophy and values likely haven’t changed. You might be driving a shiny new vehicle, but the destination, along with your passengers and the landmarks along the way, are exactly the same. Don’t lose trust in yourself to understand what writers need to grow and excel.

Lesson #4: Resist the urge to supplement. 

No matter what resource you use, it will be accompanied by a full set of resources with many more to be found online with just a quick search. Beware the urge to supplement with slide decks and fancy student packets–neither of these will make your implementation easier or your instruction better. Before you invest in extra bells and whistles, get acquainted with the resources that come with your program. Layering on extra materials in the future should be in response to needs you notice in your students rather than a quick rush to gather up resources that reflect what someone else has created or adapted for their students.

Lesson #5: Crack the code of the program’s structure.

Implementing a new program, even if it uses a familiar model, feels a bit like your first trip to Disney. Many things are kind of familiar, you know others have very strong feelings about it, you’ve done your research…but at the end of the day, the whole system is completely foreign to you. The best tactic for learning the system is to learn the structure. This will include understanding the “flow” of a single day or lesson, the lesson sequence over a week or a unit, and the order and types of units across an entire year. Unpacking the program from these different perspectives will help you see where you are, where you’re going, and how you’re going to get there.

Lesson #6: Use your support system.

Who are all the people surrounding you with support? Working with your instructional coaches, colleagues, and administrators will not only make the process of implementing something new easier for you, it will make it more impactful for your students.

Most Important: If you find yourself implementing something new this year, I hope you find (or treat yourself to!) each of the following:

• The grace to learn and make mistakes.
• The acceptance that you are human and doing your very best to do great things for your students.
• The permission to acknowledge that it won’t be perfect and to reach out for extra help and support.
• The joy of teaching young writers. After all, at the end of the day it isn’t about a program or a product or a set of materials–the work is centered around growing children into confident, skilled writers who know how to share their voice with the world through print.

Giveaway Information: 

This is a giveaway for a free, 30-minute virtual professional development session with Kate Roberts and Maggie Beattie Roberts. Readers must leave a comment on any or all of the TWT HELP DESK BLOG SERIES POST by Sun., 8/11 at noon EDT. We will announce the giveaway winner at the bottom of the intro post to this blog series (from 8/2/24) by 8/12/24.