Speaker: Margaret Kelley
Describe one of your peak moments during the Michigan Teacher Retention Design Challenge. Why does it stand out?
Margaret Kelley: Hello. I think probably one of my peak moments from the past two days is realizing that we started out with one challenge and during that whole process of flaring, we ended up coming up with a different challenge that felt more realistic and doable for what our needs are. And so I really appreciate that.
Describe your team's solution idea to the teacher retention challenge in your school or district. What does success look like?
Margaret Kelley: Hello. In Oakland County, we kind of had decided that the teacher retention was not really um a challenge that we felt we needed to work on. Because when we started talking about teachers, it seemed like the teachers have been long term and there hasn't been a turnover with our CTE teachers. However, in the same frame, those teachers could be retiring soon. And so we need to be creating a pipeline of individuals that can step in and we don't lose their knowledge, their skill sets, their community involvement. And so we came up with an ideal of apprenticeship program for individuals leaving industry that have the industry skill set, but are lacking the educational teaching skill sets that would make them successful. I really do think it is an actionable item that um is very dear to our heart and I really think we're going to be able to accomplish that. So, thank you.
If you were going to recommend the Michigan Teacher Retention Design Challenge workshop, what would you say to encourage others to attend?
Margaret Kelley: Yeah, I think if I was going to encourage others to attend this workshop, I would definitely, talk about the fact of how it is very fast paced. The two days fly by, you don't even realize it's like you start and then before you know what, you're ready to leave. And especially the first day, I felt like I could have stayed a lot longer. I wasn't really ready for it to end. but I also feel like I'm leaving with something that's tangible and I have this new set of skill sets that's going to benefit me and all kinds of things. So I would definitely encourage others to attend this.
