"Grab a shovel!" : Supporting early-career alternatively prepared elementary teachers

Both early-career teachers (ECTs) and alternatively prepared teachers (APTs) have been shown to have an exceptionally high attrition rate as they attempt to adjust to a new and strange profession, leaving early-career alternatively prepared teachers as an especially at-risk cross-section of the teaching force (Podolsky et al., 2019). Yet much of the research into this at-risk population is evaluative rather than supportive, seeking to determine whether APTs should even be allowed into the classroom instead of seeking to understand the challenges they face and explore potential sources of assistance (Grossman & Loeb, 2008). In an attempt to contribute to the small body of literature that investigates ways in which APTs might be supported in their transition into teaching, this study uses narrative inquiry to tell the stories of five alternatively prepared elementary teachers as they navigate their first semester in the classroom and experience moments of struggle, growth, disappointment, and triumph. Findings identify a number of persistent challenges experienced by these early-career APTs (providing targeted student support, managing myriad responsibilities, interpreting and enacting mathematics curricula, retaining confidence and self-efficacy, etc.) and offer some potential avenues of support (consistent affirmation, frequent connections to prior professional experiences, engaged mentorship, etc.). These findings have a number of important implications for APTs, school leaders, mentors, policymakers, curriculum designers, and researchers, as the task of supporting early-career APTs is shown to be complex, delicate, and critical.