The hardest part of teaching is not the lesson plan, it’s carrying the job alone once the “new teacher support” disappears. We talk with Craig Harper, Executive Director of PAGE (the Professional Association of Georgia Educators), and Michael Kobito, 2023 Georgia Teacher of the Year, about a new approach to teacher retention in Georgia that’s built on real mentorship, real community, and real skills early career teachers can use tomorrow.

We unpack the PAGE New Teacher Academy, a yearlong cohort for educators who’ve completed their first, second, or third year in the classroom, including second-career teachers. Michael shares what participants get: four in-person sessions, monthly mentor check-ins, and a statewide network designed to last for decades. We also dig into what makes PAGE’s professional learning so accessible for members, including support that can cover substitutes, travel stipends, and more, so cost doesn’t block growth.

You’ll hear how the academy’s four pillars connect directly to the day-to-day work of teaching: strengthening foundations like parent communication, sharpening instruction and impact, building advocacy and influence without turning it into politics, and creating a plan for what comes next. Plus, we talk about the Ron Clark Academy experience and why seeing great instruction up close can change a teacher’s trajectory.

If you’re a principal, district leader, or educator looking for meaningful professional development, this is a blueprint worth sharing. Subscribe, send this to a school leader who needs it, and leave a review with the one support you wish you’d had in years 2 and 3.