Volume 3 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Research - Page 79

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 77   • Build educator understanding of generational differences with a particular concentration on what each generation needs to feel supported and what each generation requires for effective communication.   • Provide time for teams to discuss areas of belief that are unique to various generations as well as areas that all generations have in common.   • Consider generational needs and strengths when forming content and/or grade-level teams. Millennial educators will likely need to have other individuals on their team who are willing to have regular and continuing conversations about a wide variety of issues and will also likely need to work with individuals who will provide them with affirmation and encouragement on a consistent basis.   • Encourage consideration of generational needs when establishing team norms and determining how groups will do their work.   • Establish work structures such as common planning times during the work day that encourage and allow for collaboration.   • Plan opportunities for team building and not leave bonding experiences for grade-level or content-area teams to create.   • Build intentional time into their own administrative schedules to meet regularly with teachers from the Millennial generation. Recommendations for District Leaders District leaders must also be aware of the needs of Millennial educators. In an effort to promote generational understanding, it is recommended that district leaders do the following:   • Provide mentoring experiences for all teachers during their first two years of teaching experience.   • Provide clear training and instruction to campus leaders regarding the selection and pairing of mentors with new teachers. Mentors should ideally teach the same grade and/or content as the new teachers and remain in place for two years to allow relationships to develop.   • Train mentors in generational characteristics. Mentors should be willing to stop and listen when needed and be prepared to provide significant feedback to their mentees for instructional, behavioral, and emotional needs.   • Place requirements on mentors for regular and frequent interactions between mentors and mentees.   • Deploy coaches at the campus level to better provide the level of collegial support that teachers from the Millennial generation seek.   • Provide generational training to Instructional Coaches to aid them in planning their work with the staff members on their campus. Coaches should be equipped with processes and strategies to allow them to provide significant input and feedback to teachers from the Millennial generation.   • Provide professional development to campus leaders in the area of communication as all generations regard effective communication as a critical characteristic of leadership.   • Provide district-level professional learning for teachers through a variety of platforms and processes that allow teachers from the Millennial generation to access supports on demand and provide them with time and opportunity to process and reflect on their learning with other educators.   • Provide opportunities for educators from the Millennial generation to grow professionally and support that development. All school leaders, whether at the campus or district level, should attempt to know Millennial educators both professionally and personally. Millennial generation teachers will benefit from hearing that they are doing something well and will want to know how they can get better, so leaders should prepare to spend time in classrooms and provide specific feedback more often than annual appraisals require. Because members of the Millennial generation need consistent affirmation, most interactions between Millennial educators and campus leadership should include some form of positive response even if constructive criticism must be provided. The Millennial generation is the new reality. There is not another group from which to create the educators that students need. Educational leaders must learn to reach millennial generation teachers and support them, or we may very well lose them.