It turns out that the nomenclature of "lead teacher" and "teaching fellow" was already leading some people to conceptualize the idea as a "one teacher's in charge and the other follows" deal. No!! I spoke with a few teachers who came to me concerned that this mindset was already developing, so we talked about different names for the program. I'm now moving toward this:
MENTOR TEACHER: More experienced teacher (might be more experienced in total years taught, though in a couple of cases it might be simply more experience teaching at IDEA)
PARTNER TEACHER: The less experienced teacher partnered with a mentor teacher. They are most definitely full-time professional certified teachers, but are in an intense apprenticeship with less demanding planning responsibilities at the beginning and with high levels of support & instructional coaching feedback throughout the year. However, we expect them to be equal partners in the planning of the classroom environment, culture, and instruction--supported by their mentor teacher.
LEAD TEACHER: Both would be lead teachers...just for different halves of the day (depending on the language of instruction). When one member of the team is lead teaching, the other is assisting/supporting.
I'm sure my thinking will continue to change and develop, but that's where I am for today!
Teaching Fellow Program Overview
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