What is a Consulting Teacher? What Do Consulting Teachers Do?
From left to right: Cassie Bennett, Cheryl Dultz, Alice Law, Tina Casanova, Cindy Noyes , Molly Silva, Andrea Mello
Consulting Teachers are Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA's) who work for the BTSA/PAR (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment/ Peer Assistance and Review) program. Consulting Teachers have a variety of roles, including mentoring, coaching, evaluating and facilitating professional development seminars. In a typical week, we might see 12 to 15 teachers, collaborate with each other, and plan for or present at professional development seminars. Currently, we are collaborating with the Professional Learning and Innovation Department to better enhance our “coaching” abilities and to insure that our coaching model is aligned with the District's coaching model.
As BTSA mentors, Consulting Teachers provide instructional, academic, and moral support to beginning teachers. We work with teachers helping them to navigate their first years of teaching as they learn about their students, access district and school resources, and set goals for their own teaching practice. We provide a sounding board as they reflect upon their lessons and develop curriculum. We plan lessons with participating teachers, observe those lessons, and look at student work so that teachers can reflect upon the effectiveness of their lessons. In doing so, we use a formative assessment system that helps us look more deeply at lesson design and student achievement, promoting inquiry and improving practice. The formative assessment system helps guide our work together and provides a framework for a portfolio of evidence that teachers will use to clear their credentials. As part of our work, we help teachers create and keep their portfolios updated. We are there to give advice (only when asked, of course!) and sometimes to provide a shoulder to cry on or a friend to celebrate with when children succeed.
In addition to working with beginning teachers, Consulting Teachers work with veteran teachers who request help in the classroom. We observe and counsel teachers in areas in which they need assistance, coaching them and suggesting effective instructional strategies. Our work together is directed by the requesting teachers as we provide whatever support they need.
Consulting Teachers also work with teachers who have been referred to the Peer Assistance and Review Program after unsatisfactory evaluations. We observe and coach referred teachers, collect data on teaching practice, and meet with teachers and principals to improve practice and meet California teaching standards. We serve as evaluators for these teachers, implementing improvement plans that spell out what each teacher needs to do to become a successful teacher in our district.
Finally, Consulting Teachers are responsible for planning and facilitating professional development seminars. We provide training for Site Coaches and beginning teachers, working with other District departments to provide pertinent information and strategies at our seminars.
We are a colleague, friend, mentor, coach, evaluator and instructor - and we love every bit of it!