TLC Coming Soon to AHS

8th grade science teacher Amber Moore will be the instructional coach for the TLC program at Atlantic High School.

8th grade science teacher Amber Moore will be the instructional coach for the TLC program at Atlantic High School.

by Ashley Freund

Sometimes not just the students need help, but teachers also do. In the beginning of upcoming 2015-16 school year, the Teacher Leadership Compensation, TLC for short, will finally begin. Atlantic Community School District applied for a grant in 2013 to get this program for the schools. It will help generate different methods and new and improved ideas of teaching for the teachers of the district. The program has funding to run for two years, and it’s a full-time position for all of the instructors.

Ed Den Beste is the TLC head position. TLC Instructional Coaches for the district are Missy Goergen at Washington, Katie Chamberlain at Schuler and AMS, and Amber Moore at AHS. The teachers were chosen through an interview process. Moore said every teacher that had been teaching for at least one year prior were given the opportunity to apply for the positions.

TLC is designed by the principals and instructors of the schools and program. The district has communicated with other districts that have this program and received feedback on ideas and ways to figure out what they want to do.

The program is not an evaluation or judgmental of the teacher’s teaching. Moore said it was a “sounding board” for other teachers. It’s a view of teaching from a different perspective.

“I affect about 125 kids a year. My hope is in the classes I help, and so in turn, I can empact around 1,000 kids,” said Moore.

“The program is not about right or wrong,” said Moore. “The district is doing right for students.”