A compiled list from the teachersnet chatboards and
various rings.
Beginning
Teachers Chatboard
Student
Teaching ChatBoard
These two boards are perfect places for new teachers
to visit daily. I suggest you click on a link above
and bookmark the two sites.
I keep my eyes open
for various topics being discussed on mailrings and
chatboards. Then I compile the ideas to a page. It is
so nice to have many ideas in one place. New ideas
are added often.
Many thanks to the
teachers that have shared their ideas. So many
teachers have wonderful hearts!
Posted by Amanda
on 6/18/02
Congratulations on
your new job! I just finished my first year of
teaching, and what a year it was! Here are some
thoughts from my own experiences:
- be flexible!!!!!
Schedules and lesson plans are a must, but be ready
to switch things around at the last minute
because of an unannounced assembly or fire drill, or
other unexpected event.
- always have in
your filing cabinet three or four filler activities
all ready copied for the class- this has been a
lifesaver for me whenever one of those unexpected
events occured. That way you're not scrambling around
thinking, "now what am I going to do with
them?!"
-develop good
relationships with all faculty members. When you eat
lunch, don't just sit with your grade level. I made
sure that at some point early in the year I dropped
by each teachers' classroom just to chat. By the end
of the year I
felt comfortable going to anyone of them for help and
advice-it created a great support system. This also
opened the
door for some valuable class interaction- we had
first grade buddies that we read to weekly and did
art projects with- it
was so much fun!! It will also help me this next year
as I am changing grades, I already have a good
rapport with my
new grade team.
-early on establish
good relationships with parents. Make sure you keep
in touch with them through notes or phone
calls. Just a brief note, once a month, to each
parent telling them something positive that you've
notice about their child will go a long way. And if
you make a goal of 5-6 notes a week it shouldn't be
at all time-consuming. If
you notice a problem with a student, immediately
voice your concern to the parent- don't be afraid (I
know I was the first few times), most of them really
appreciate it, and you won't hear the angry phrase
"Why didn't I know about this
before?"-sometimes parents will get angry at
you, even if you're following school policy, doing
everything right. It's not fair- but stay calm,
polite, and respectful. After they are gone, or have
hung up, I would let the principal know what has
happened so that he or she can back you up if the
parent
should complain. Then, find a quiet spot and get
yourself together- cry if you need to, vent to a
friend. If this kind of situation arises during a
time when you've got students, this is when it's
great to whip out one of those filler activities and
a supportive faculty member keep an eye on your
class.
-be willing to share
what you have. As first year teachers, we don't have
a lot, but we do have some new ideas, resources, or
even talents that other teachers might be interested
in. Sometimes, although I was new, I'd have veteran
teachers coming in to ME saying, "I've got half
an hour to fill, do you have anything for me,
Amanda?"
-watch what you say,
where you say it, and to whom you say it to. Whether
you're in the faculty room, the hallway, or even your
own classroom,especially as a first year teacher, be
diplomatic when expressing your thoughts or
opinions.-there is so much more but not enough time
to write it, but
a few last thoughts:
Have fun, use your sense of humor, be confident in
yourself and your abilities, it's okay to make
mistakes- they are valuable learning experiences,
show enthusiam for what you are teaching. and
finally,enjoy your class- there is something to love
in even the most difficult child. I wish you the best
of luck next year!!
~Amanda
Teaching is the best
job in the world! Caution: It will take every moment
of your time if you let it! If you spend every minute
of every day immersed in your classroom you'll still
have a list a mile long of things you could do! A
realistic goal is to enjoy every minute of school AND
to have a life beyond teaching! Don't spend every
weekend and evening doing school stuff. Set aside
time each week to do some of the things that you
truly enjoy. I guarantee that if you put yourself
first by making some time for yourself, you'll be a
better teacher! You'll be refreshed and energized.
Relax and enjoy the summer! Have a wonderful first
year!
Sue Gruber
Something that
came as a bit of a surprise to me (although now I
laugh to think I didn't realize this) is that a
teacher's work is never done. You will never have
everything on your to do list crossed off! So,
the key is to prioritize, do what you absolutely
need to each day, and a little extra if you have
time, and call it good. Like the previous poster
said, make sure you have a life outside work, or
it may consume you. Good luck with your first
year. I just finished my 3rd full year, and am
loving it! It just keeps getting better.........
bliss
Go ahead and
be intense and obsessed for the first year if
that's the type of person you are. I spent
every waking minute (from 4:30 am to 12
midnight) thinking about teaching. I read a
zillion books on classroom management, wrote
lesson plans and had detailed notes on what I
wanted to say each day, to each class and in
what order.... I lost 10 pounds :-) and my
house was a wreck. I took time out to feed my
kids and kiss my husband. I wrote personal
notes on kids homework, bellwork and
journals. I made jeopardy games and
vocabulary wheels and study guides with clip
art. I was determined not to screw up my 8th
graders only year as 8th graders (even though
they had a 1st year teacher.) I can look back
and say I did the best I could.
I'm glad I did
it. I'll be a little less intense next year! At
104 lbs I don't want to loose another 10 lbs. I
don't resent the time I spent. It didn't make me
stressed out. In fact, feeling like I was not
prepared made me feel more stressed.
I'm spending the
summer re-inventing my curriculum. I'm going to
walk in the door with centers for independent
learning for both science and social studies and
my classroom procedures are going to be much
better so I can start teaching them from day 1.
Just the 2 cents
from a workaholic who loved her first year!
Posted by Stacy
on 6/13/02
- 1. Learn
about your school district and how your
school runs. Every school has acronyms
for specials, programs and paperwork.
Don't be afraid to ask another teacher
for help figuring all this out. You can't
possibly know how a referral for special
services is handled, how you get forms to
get a bus for a field trip, etc. Finding
all this out will make the first year go
smoother.
- 2. Along
with this goes making the school
secretary and the custodian your best
friends. They actually run the school and
can get you lots of good stuff like
bookcases and extra paper. They are both
very busy at the beginning of the year so
try not to bother them too much at first
; )
- 3. Just
teach the basic program. You cannot
possibly have a jillion centers up and
running, thousands of books in your
classroom library, individualized
programs...just do the basics very well
and learn your core curriculum.
- 4.
Always communicate with parents. Be
positive and share your successes.
Parents can be difficult for a new
teacher. You will learn with time how to
include them and yet not let them try to
dictate what you do in the room.
- 5.
Overplan for the first week. Know how to
get your kids through the cafeteria line
and where to go for recess. It's the
little stuff that will overwhelm you.
Have procedures for EVERYTHING in place.
- 6. You
are a professional teacher! Be proud and
have fun. This is a rewarding and
challenging career, one where you never
stop learning.
Posted by
Pam/Ga/1 on 6/14/02
Along with
everything that the others have said, your #1
goal for your first year should be to make it to
your second year! Realize that we lose many
teachers in the first couple of years of
teaching. This is why there is a teacher
shortage. There are more than enough graduates of
teacher credential programs to provide us with
all that we would ever need. However, between the
first day of student teaching and the end of the
second year of teaching we lose many of them,
either from not ever starting to teach or from
giving up teaching.
Your goal is to
provide an enriched learning environment *and* to
provide yourself with a life outside of school.
Doing that will get you much closer to that
second year.
Tom N
Speaking from
experience, one of the situations a new teacher
bumps into rather quickly is the old guard vs the
new upstarts. In staff meetings, don't try to
jump in too quickly with sayings like "I
think we should try this." Spend much time
listening and then when asked, express your
opinion and reason(s) for it. Make an effort to
become part of the team. You will find that
change sometimes takes longer than you wish. It
is much better to have support for an idea than
unspoken resistancethat could undermine its
success.
Don't hesitate
to ask the old timers for help, suggestions and
recommendations. Most of them love to offer
advice based on experience to help you develop
methods that will work best for you.
Ruff
Here is my best
advice. I have been teaching for 3 years now. I
am just finishing my 3rd year. I would get into
your classroom ASAP and get it decorated the way
you want it. There will be NO extra time during
pre-planning with meetings, etc. I usually go in
2-3 weeks before school starts and get my room
done. That way, all I have to do is name tags and
things that require their names. Also,
familiarize yourself with the curriculum. I was
not fortunate to get this chance. Take home the
teacher's guides to your textbooks and learn
them. Learn where the special area classes are
around your school. Learn who your teammates will
be. Make yourself a plan about how your class
will be run. Talk to other teachers on your grade
level and get their advice about how they teach.
That helped me. I was only hired 1 week prior to
pre-planning. I had NO time to do anything and
was playing catch-up all year. It was rough. If
you have the chance to get in your room early, do
it. Best of luck to you in your first year. It's
a wild ride, but you will come through with so
many ideas and a lots stronger.
God Bless
Kelly
I just finished
my first year and here are some things I found
helpful:
1) If you have
not done so, read The First Days of School by
Harry Wong and really think about the kinds of
rules you want and the procedures you need to
teach (the book has a list of suggested ones).
Since I teach 1st I keep rules pretty simple.
Mine are:
Raise your hand
before talking
Be kind to others
Be a responsible student
Listen carefully
Follow the Golden Rule (Treat others as you want
to be treated)
I usually read a
book about rules the first day of school first
and then we talk about why they are important. I
spend about 2 weeks teaching and reviewing
procedures and doing very basic curriculum stuff.
2) Get your
teacher guides and start looking through them.
Get an idea of what you need to cover by lookig
at them and at district curriculum guides. Start
looking for book titles that tie into things you
will be teaching. Write the titles on post-it
notes and put it in the teaching guide on the
pages of the unit you will use the book with.
Note if the book is yours or a library book, same
with videos, art projects, etc. Start files of
ideas for each subject area or unit.
3) If you have
not started to already, begin collecting books
for a classroom library. Check on garage sales
for deals. Also look for board games and recess
equipment you can use. Most schools don't supply
that.
4)Don't try to
do everything your first year or you will drive
yourself crazy. Pick one curriculum area to
really focus on and buuild from there after your
first year. For me, I focused on reading this
year. I learned about different assessment tools,
created a system for anectdotal note taking, and
really learned a lot about guided reading. Next
year, I am focusing on math and linking it to
reading and writing.
Good luck!
Oh my gosh...the
things you don't know that you don't know will
amaze you! SO FOCUS on what you do know you don't
know! Does that make sense? I think you have to
be very assertive the first year. I started a few
days after the school year started, and then
didn't actually get my class until the 3rd week
(long story), but I was amazed at how little
information I got when I first arrived. The
principal pointed me in the direction of my
"classroom" (which I had to make myself
from an open concept building) and said "let
me know what you need." I was stunned. No
introductions, no school handbook, nothing. I
kept waiting for someone to come up and give me
info, but unless I asked, I never knew I was
supposed to ask. SO think up things ahead of
time, and hopefully you'll walk into a great
situation where you won't have to...
1) Where are all
the forms located--to get subs, to plan field
trips, permission slips, expense accounts, order
forms, duty rosters, etc...
2) Ask if there
is a procedure book somewhere for filling out all
the above, and if not, ask and write down what
the procedures are before you need them. Find out
who you turn forms into, and the time needed to
process them. How are field trips funded--how
many can you take--are there required ones at
each grade level (so you don't step on your new
colleagues toes...)?
3) Ask about
your budget--now and what might be available
later in the year. Ask what supplies are supplied
through the office or administration. One school
gave me basic office supplies, one made it come
out of MY budget--even rubber bands and paper
clips.4) Ask if there are local grant
opportunities that will come up and how and if
you can apply for them?5) Ask for any
codes/passwords you might need--computers and
programs sometimes all have different ones.
School buildings have security systems/copiers do
too! 6) Ask if there are procedures for signing
out other media--library/cameras/vcrs/science or
other equipment.
Honestly, I
can't even begin to start listing all the things
that drove me nuts in the first semester of this
year. But I am so happy to have made it through,
and now can really look forward to the second
year. Most of all, CONGRATULATIONS and good luck
on the coming year.
Posted by
Terry/IN on 5/13/02
|
First
Year Teacher Tips
