SJSD supports new educators through BTAP training
Praji Ghosh
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph School District recently took part in the Beginning Teacher’s Assistance Program, also known as BTAP, at Lafayette High School.
The training was led by Darbie Valenti-Huff and was all about helping new teachers get their careers off to a strong start — offering professional development, mentorship and a chance to build connections with other educators.
This program is part of the Missouri Teacher Development System, or MTDS — a statewide effort to give educators continuous opportunities to grow.
“We are able to bring our mentors as extra support, so then when we come back to the school and we want to implement things, we have someone who was there as a veteran,” first-year teacher Arianna Davis said.
Davis said the training is required for all first-year teachers so they can learn how to recognize students’ needs in the classroom — and put that knowledge into practice during lessons.
The goal of the training is to boost teachers’ confidence and encourage collaboration that helps build stronger relationships between students and educators in the classroom.
“Of course, we don’t know everything that’s going on at home, but just being familiar with the signs for each of those things helps us understand our students more,” Davis said.
Davis said she plans to use some of the techniques from the training to better capture her students’ attention.
“Being able to take the nontraditional aspects and learning and bringing that to the classroom to help them transition into middle school, I think, is extremely important,” Davis said.
She said her goal after completing the BTAP program is to grow as a teacher for her sixth graders, so she can serve them better and connect with them on a deeper level.