TX Program Welcome Call
The goal of this conversation is to congratulate the intern and welcome them to our program, get to know them, help them navigate the intern portal, provide guidance on developing a time management plan based on their goals, and provide clear next steps to get started.
Before the Call:
If there are enrollment notes on file, review and reflect experience:
Why? (List reason why they want to teach)
When? (List when they want to get started in the classroom by)
Experience? (List experience in education they have)
Next Steps Covered (List what next steps you covered. i.e. transcripts, CXC, TOEFL etc.)
Follow-Up (List when your next follow-up is scheduled for)
Call Structure:
Intro: Hello, My name is XXXXXX, I am a program advisor calling from Texas Teachers. Is this XXXXX I am speaking with?
Role Articulation: My role as your Program Advisor is to get to know you and your goals as well as guide you through phase one of our program. This includes your online modules, field-based experiences, test preparation, and content area exams.
Account Verification: Before we get started can you verify your first and last name as well as your email address?
Thank you for doing that!
Agenda: Today I’d like to get to know you and your goals better as well as introduce you to your portal and sequences of program requirements. What would you like to make sure we cover today?
*Capture what they would like to discuss and either validate that it will be covered or add to what you will cover.
Can you open up your intern portal so I can guide you through a few things as I get to know you?
What is going to be your primary computer to complete your program? I ask because as you progress into our program you will need to have access to a lockdown browser to complete practice exams.
It looks like you have experience as ____________, can you tell me more about that? (How long? What grade level and content? What certification area would you like to pursue? (Review their admissions offering for alignment)
or
It looks like, while you don’t have formal experience, it looks like you have a passion for teaching, tell me more about that. What grade level and content? What certification area would you like to pursue? (Review their admissions offering for alignment) What do you currently do for employment? (Important to understand for Time Management Plan)
With this information, let’s take our first look at the Intern Portal and specifically the Job Profile. This is where you can share your desired start date, list up to 5 preferred districts, indicate if you are willing to relocate and upload your teaching resume. ** (If you discovered above your intern is not teaching, this is a great place to discover more about where they are looking, how prepared they are, and what ‘Get Hired’ resources they might need’ Our 'Get Hired' resources include 1:1 coaches, exclusive job fairs, district partnerships, and expert resume writing services, result in a remarkable 93% of interns securing employment within their first year.’ )
You mentioned your desired start date is XXXXX, let’s discuss what phase one looks like and start to build a time management plan that aligns with your goal of XXXXXX. (Capture the date they shared with you and reference it as you discuss the requirements)
Breakdown of Phase 1:
In Phase 1, you have three main requirements: your learning modules, field-based experience, and testing. We recommend you pursue your learning modules and field-based experience first as these are building blocks for your test preparation and completion.
Field-Based Experience: You will have at least 25 hours required in person; based on our discussion earlier, it sounds like: you have a school you have access to OR you might need support finding a school to complete your observations. You get to observe tenured teachers execute their lesson plans and you get to engage with students in the process. These observations are a great way to see a variety of grade levels, delivery of instruction, and learn classroom management techniques. Interacting with the students is a requirement at a TEA approved campus.
In addition, you will have 25 hours of online modules
Based on the previous information, starting 9/1 if they are the teacher of record, regular sub, or educational aide, they can use that experience to satisfy online hour requirements. "Your experience as a ________ can be used to receive credit for 25 online hours you would need to complete. This way you would only have to complete your in person hours we discussed."
How does that sound?
Learning Modules:
Training/Required Courses - Online and Flexible, will provide vital teaching terminology and pedagogy best practices that will help you pass your exam and prepare you for classroom teaching.
Our test preparation is intended to prepare you for your content exams. This is a great way for you to gauge your preparation for the exam so take your own preparation seriously before attempting ours so you can simulate your experience. We require all our interns to earn 85% or higher on test preparation. In addition, we can recommend several other fantastic resources and test preparation companies for additional support.
**If the intern referenced that they were pursuing a critical area in your discussion, it’s important to encourage them to see a variety of different grade levels and classes in their FBEs as well as explain that they will need to complete several different test preps ahead of testing.
With all that we have covered, what questions do you have before we talk about a time management plan and next steps?
Time Management Plan:
Based on what you shared with me earlier, we have a pathway that fits your desired timeline (4, 6, 9, or 12 month). It’s important to start thinking about how you will fit in your in-person field-based experience as that requires planning and communication more than the online modules, online field-based experience and test preparation. What does your week typically look like?
(At this point, you are helping them to reflect on what is realistic within their personal/professional life; they are the experts of their schedule, so this is a time to ask questions and help them start building that plan)
We covered a lot today, and I want to ensure you have time to process and ask any additional questions. (Respond to anything they need or proceed to homework if nothing)
Homework:
Your first homework assignment will be to test your time management plan. I have four modules that I’d like you to try and complete in the next week before we speak again. The intention is to see how adding 10 hours to your schedule feels. If it flies by, AWESOME, keep going if you have more time! If it feels like too much, it’s an opportunity to either reflect on a different plan, or we can adjust the pathway we are working on. These courses also prepare you for a strong start to your field-based experience. How does that sound?
Modules to complete:
- Welcome to Texas Teachers
- Preparing for the Profession
- Qualities of Effective Teachers
- Educator Professionalism
The goal is to complete these within your first week. This is how you will build your time management plan.
Schedule a Follow-Up: What time next week works best for you for me to follow up on your progress? (Advisor should record time and day for the expected follow up an set the disposition as such)
What final questions do you have?
Closing: It was a pleasure speaking with you and thank you for your time today! We are thrilled to be partnering with you on your journey to certification. We know you will do great things in the classroom.
Notating the Account:
Cert Area Preferred: (List the cert area they want to pursue)
Timeline: (When is there goal to be teaching in the classroom)
Homework assigned
Follow-up Scheduled for XX-XX