Kelly Barker is a veteran teacher now, seven years into her career at Kokomo High School.

It wasn’t long ago, though, that she was a brand-new teacher, right out of Ball State University, with plenty of questions about preparing for her first day of school.

As a participant in Kokomo-Center School Corp.’s Teacher Orientation Program during her first year, she was able to meet other new teachers and learn more about the school corporation.

“It allowed me to ask questions and talk with new and veteran teachers that helped me get my school year off to a smooth start. It allowed me to familiarize myself with what Kokomo-Center School Corp. expects from it faculty. I do still use some of the ideas I learned in TOPS to start every school year.”

Kokomo-Center’s 10-year-old program is just one of several in the Kokomo area, developed to help new teachers learn on the job and succeed in their first year.

Harriet Thompson, Maconaquah School Corp.’s chief administrator of academic services, said about 40 percent of new teachers leave the profession within the first five years.

She said Dan McCaulley, a retired teacher who leads Maconaquah’s new teacher program, provided that statistic, adding that most teaching skills are learned through experience, so having a professional development program for these teachers is “an investment from a school corporation in a teacher.”

The program pairs teachers new to the corporation with a veteran teacher, and those teachers attend monthly training sessions.

She said for many brand-new teachers, having a successful first year will help keep them in the profession. She added college and student teaching cannot prepare a new teacher for the realities of the job.

“Even though you do student teaching prior to graduating from college, it’s still not your responsibility entirely. I think many people who enter the teaching profession are unaware of the level of commitment to be a successful classroom teacher,” Thompson said.

At Kokomo-Center, Dee Lohman, executive director of pre-K-12th grade instruction, said new teachers are paid to come for the week-long TOPS program.

“That emphasizes our commitment to them, that this is not just extra time, this is a learning experience on the road to becoming master teachers.”

Lohman said Kay Kinder, director of professional development, brings in varied speakers about instructional expectations, benefits and pay and other educationally-related topics and also provides a bus tour of the city.

“We try to bring in all kinds of things that they would worry about so when the doors open to the children, they’re ready, well-prepared and settled in,” Lohman said.

The program continues with four additional sessions in the first year, and more in-depth professional development during the second year.

“We believe everyone who signs a contract with us, they want to be the best teachers they can possibly be. We help them get as close to that as they can possibly get,” Lohman said.

The programs also provide an opportunity for networking not only with other new teachers, but with master teachers, principals and other administrators.

Lohman said the networking lets new teachers know they are part of the Kokomo-Center family and that people care about them. That support is important, she said.

Northwestern High School Principal Tim Edsell is leading a pilot program for new teachers this year, called NHS MET, or “Nurturing Higher Standards, Molding Excellent Teachers.”

He hopes to expand the program to other corporation schools later.

Edsell said each teacher who is new to the corporation has two mentor teachers.

“We want to give them resources to be able to have that first year of success,” he said. “We’ll talk about expectations in the classroom, where to find your curriculum, how to create a classroom management plan.”

Edsell thinks it’s important that the mentoring is done by peers, rather than administrators, because new teachers may be more comfortable talking to a peer who will not judge them, rather than their principal, who evaluates their job performance.

“We’ve created a team atmosphere where you can go to two people in that building and either get information, or vent to them. I think a lot of new teachers get overwhelmed and may keep it to themselves,” he said. “That could be a cause for them to get out of the profession. We want our new teachers to fall in love with Northwestern, to fall in love with the way we do things and the great task of being a teacher.”

Western Superintendent Peter O’Rourke said dealing with ISTEP tests and state standards, meeting individualized needs, particularly of special education students, along with establishing himself or herself as an authority figure, can be overwhelming for a new teacher.

“That step you take, especially as a brand-new teacher, where you are it, is truly a challenge. They are probably on their own for the first time in terms of the day-to-day activities in those classrooms.”

O’Rourke said mentors help the teachers confront “the sheer shock of being on your own for that first time, especially if you’re coming in at 23 or 24 years old.”

Western also provides a timeline for teachers, letting them know where they should be in terms of meeting state standards through the year, so students are prepared for the ISTEP test.

Mentors can also help new, young teachers find the appropriate line between being a friend and being a teacher, particularly for young teachers in a high school setting.

“The kids always want to identify the teachers as a friend first, and when the age difference is so minimal, it’s difficult not to slide over in one direction.”

At Northern Community Schools of Tipton County, leaders hope providing in-house child care will help attract and retain teachers.

“A lot of times we’ve seen reports that new families feel like they’re not being able to spend enough time with their children,” Superintendent Lee Williford said. “With in-house day care, our teachers are able to bring their children to their work, and during a prep period or lunch they can go visit with their children.”

The school provides the space and contracts with Heartland Ministries to provide child care staff. Teachers pay Heartland Ministries for the care.

Williford said Northern also has recognition programs for its teachers, and its turnover rate is low.

“Our teachers tend to come here and stay.”