Highland Park ISD welcomes new teachers
Highland Park ISD began the 2013-14 school year by welcoming new teachers and staff to the district at New Employee Orientation last week.
Early in the three-day training, new teachers were paired with mentors from their campuses. The pairings helped familiarize new teachers with their department, their school and the district, and established an ongoing partnership for the school year.
While many of the new teachers came from other districts, 11 are beginning their education careers here. As part of their welcome, HPISD Director of Personnel Chris Israelson will visit with each of the first-year teachers to learn about their experiences, and he will introduce them to HPISD parents and staff in a series of spotlight articles in the e-newsletter.
Israelson also shared some thoughts on the art of teacher recruitment:
"One of the many important tasks school principals and assistant principals are responsible for is the annual hiring, training and retention of highly qualified professional and paraprofessional educators and support staff," he said.
"It is one of the most critical skills a principal must have - the ability to ascertain the ideal set of experience, teaching skills and values of a teacher candidate. It is both a science and an art, and carries with it a long-term impact on student achievement. This skill should not be taken for granted, and HPISD principals should be recognized for the expertise and diligence they bring to the process.
"HPISD has developed its Profile of the Educator for the Future in conjunction with the Profile of the Learner for the Future. No doubt, the strategic planning associated with these two initiatives will shape the process of hiring and training of new teachers in HPISD."
Congratulations, new teachers, and welcome to HPISD!
