LEARNING BY DOING

Billy Keys, right, coached a trumpet player Justin Cain in the Cape Central Marching Band during a practice. Keys team teaches with other music teachers and still finds time to play with his band Papa Aborigine on the weekends.

Experience is the best teacher for teachers, according to Cape Girardeau teachers Philip Mayhall and Billie Keys.

Both Mayhall and Keys are first-year educators working at Louis J. Schultz School. Mayhall teaches Spanish, and Keys is a band instructor.

Mayhall and Keys said their student teaching experiences prepared them for the types of activities teachers must plan for, but did not prepare them for the personal and group challenges teachers often encounter.

Student teaching provides a "trial run," but educators have no idea what to expect until they finally enter a classroom professionally, they said.

"You sort of learn by doing and by asking questions and watching," said Mayhall.

Keys did not know what to expect when he accepted his teaching position. He said he had to make several adjustments in preparation for his new job because he had previously worked in a different field and did not expect the volume of paperwork teachers must complete.

"I wasn't sure if this were for me or not; this was kind of a gamble," he said. "Things have come around and it's really starting to be an enjoyable thing."

Mayhall agreed there are several things student teachers can not experience until they enter the classroom. Consistency in discipline, learning to interpret the students' body language and learning style, and completing extracurricular job duties are all areas skills gained through on-the-job experience, he said.

"It's a unique feeling being on the other side," said Mayhall. ""You have to learn to think on your feet and you must be one who cannot take constructive criticism personally."

Both teachers said they have gained confidence, new skills and enthusiasm for their jobs during their first weeks as educators because of the Cape Girardeau School District's professional mentor program. The program, developed by teachers in the school district, helps first-year teachers and experienced educators who are new to the district develop a professional relationship with mentors who help them make the transition to authority figure in the classroom.

In addition to mentors, new teachers also benefit from a buddy teacher who works in their subject area and helps them "learn the ropes" at their individual schools.

"They are another resource, another voice that I can hear," said Mayhall. "I feel like I have several mentors because everybody has been so welcoming and made me feel like someone who can make a difference."

In addition to professional mentors, Keys said he also benefits from his experience as a team teacher with other band directors.

"We each have our own specialty, which means the kids get a little more individual help," he said. "This is great because it provides a chance to make beginning teachers feel a little more comfortable."

Good community support also helps beginning teachers adjust to their jobs quickly, said Keys.

"Band is a very social thing -- we have huge parental support, a great booster organization," he said. "I was cautiously optimist at first, but now it's starting to be very rewarding."