Teacher

Back To Snippet


Back To SITEMAP

Top Ten Helpful Hints to First Year Teachers

Author: Barbara Snyder

1. Become familiar with the school site and district office facilities and resources.

Your school site and the district office media center can be valuable resources to tap into. Most school site have storage areas or closets with shared grade level curriculum resources and materials. The administrator or a veteran teacher would be the person to point you in the right direction. Depending on the size of the school district, a district library or media center will have materials available for checkout. Many districts have a new teacher orientation day to provide information about materials, procedures, insurance coverage, staff development and other key topics.

2. Set the tone for the year with detailed planning for the first day and week.

Spend an extensive amount of time on planning the first day and week of school. Make an impression and establish a positive tone for how your classroom will run. Describe in detail how you want your classroom procedures (homework, materials, line up, emergency, school/classroom rules) to work. Make sure students understand what your expectations are and why things need to be done in the manner that you describe. Particularly with the upper grades, much of the description and discussion can be done as a team-building exercise, seeking student input and comments. The primary students would also benefit from participation in setting up classroom expectations. Have a plan in mind before hand so that students can be focused to develop something that is workable and acceptable to you and has buy in from the students.

3. Develop a detailed description for student behavior expectations

The most important area to emphasize to students is that you have high expectations for their behavior. There are many models to explore, but your own personal model should blend with the school rules for pupil behavior. It needs to be a system that is fair and manageable. Don�t put in consequences for poor behavior that can not be followed up with action. Talk to your colleagues or site administrator.

4. Talk to your colleagues.

The veteran teachers at your site can be one of the most valuable contacts that a new teacher can make. They want to help the new teachers. If you have questions or problems with discipline, lesson planning, parent involvement, ask for advise or suggestions. Don�t reinvent the wheel. Many site administrators have already selected teachers that serve as informal mentors to aid the first year teachers.

5. Use the internet for lesson plan ideas.

Look at the many curriculum and lesson planning ideas that you can find by doing a search on the internet. Most classrooms now have access to the web. Teachers can now do all their research in the comfort of their own classroom and can find more ideas and plans than there is time to deliver.

6. Take advantage of all first year teacher inservices.

Staff development is a crucial component of �No Child Left Behind�. Most districts have developed appropriate staff development workshops to meet the intent of the law and to provide the details that are missing from the teacher manuals. Veteran teachers who present sample lessons or time saving tips can be a life saver for first year teachers.

7. Begin parent contacts from the first day of school.

Send some kind of a communication to parents the first day. Describe your plans and goals for the school year and solicit their help and expertise. Parents can be presenters, volunteers, and field trip chaperones. They love getting involved. Start the first week by phoning each parent (do 5 a day) and introducing yourself.

8. Send a regular newsletter home

Whether it be a weekly report or a monthly newsletter, establish a vehicle for regular communication with parents. Parents are busy folks, too. They may also need frequent reminders about upcoming events. Have students write a letter to their parents as an end of the day activity for example. There is no such thing as too much communication.

9. Get involved in at least one curriculum committee.

As a first year teacher, you may say to yourself that you haven�t got time to do one more thing. However, it is strongly advised that you begin to get involved in a curriculum committee at the district level. Join a group. They are always looking for members. They usually meet only once a month after school. You should find an area that interests you the most and sign up. Even if you can�t make a meeting every month, this will help you begin to see the input and influence that teachers can have on curriculum decisions.

10 Realize that the first year is the toughest.

As a first year teacher, there will be days and sleepless nights when you will wonder if you took the correct path. If you love teaching kids, hang in there. Each year will get easier because you will gain new insights and experience as each year passes. Being a teacher is a tough job. Don�t try to go it alone. A support system made up of family and colleagues will get you through the tough times so that you can reflect back on the rewarding times and know that you can and do make a difference.

Copyright usage: No permission is needed to reproduce this story. The About the Author statement with hot links must remain in tact. Request for reciprocal links will be considered: barb@sbmag.org

As a first year teacher, there will be days and sleepless nights when you will wonder if you took the correct path. If you love teaching kids, hang in there. Each year will get easier because you will gain new insights and experience as each year passes. Being a teacher is a tough job. Don�t try to go it alone. A support system made up of family and colleagues will get you through the tough times so that you can reflect back on the rewarding times and know that you can and do make a difference.

...

Teacher Tips Improving Social Skills in ADHD Students
Thank you to all of our professional educators who dedicate themselves to our children We know how difficult it can be working with ADHD children so here are your teacher tips for the week brought to you by the ADHD Information Library and ADDinSchoolcom This is a sampling of over 500 classr

Teacher Tips Improving Compliance in the Classroom with ADHD Students
Thank you to all of our professional educators who dedicate themselves to our children We know how difficult it can be working with ADHD children so here are your teacher tips for the week brought to you by the ADHD Information Library and ADDinSchoolcom This is a sampling of over 500 classr

Top Ten Helpful Hints to First Year Teachers
1 Become familiar with the school site and district office facilities and resources Your school site and the district office media center can be valuable resources to tap into Most school site have storage areas or closets with shared grade level curriculum resources and materials The a



teacher - teacher faqs

Teacher

Back To Snippet


Back To SITEMAP

Tips for the Classroom Teachers with ADHD Students

Author: Douglas Cowan, Psy.D.

Thank you for all that you do in the classroom! It is hard enough being a classroom teacher today, but when you add to the difficulties two or three children with either Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or minor head injuries from FAS, managing a classroom can be a real challenge!

The ADHD Information Library has designed a web site just for you classroom teachers. We have taken 500 classroom interventions that we have gathered over the years from dozens of sources, and placed them on the site for you to visit, consider, and use if appropriate. Consider it a resource from classroom teachers to classroom teachers. The site is located at http://www.ADDinSchool.com, and we would invite you to visit often.

Here are some of the tips for teachers that are also on the site. They are just a brief look at the 500 interventions available.

1. Use rows for seating arrangement, and avoid tables with groups of students. Having groups at tables maximizes interpersonal distractions for the ADHD child when he is trying to do individual work. Where possible, it may be ideal to provide several tables for group projects and traditional rows for independent work. Some teachers report that arranging desks in a horseshoe shape promotes appropriate discussion while permitting independent work. Whatever arrangement is selected, it is important for the teacher to be able to move about the entire room and have access to all students.

2. Have distractible students seated near the teacher, as close as possible without being punitive. Locate the student's desk away from both the hallway and windows to minimize auditory and visual distractions. Keep a portion of the room free of obvious visual and auditory distractions. For example, have one area of desks that doesn't have interesting objects hanging over it that invite the child to study them rather than her/his work.

3. Use desk dividers and/or study carrels. Be sure to introduce their use as a "privilege" or pair appropriate carrel usage with reinforcement, so these study aids are not perceived as punishment.

4. Seat appropriate peer models next to ADHD child.

5. Stand near the student when giving directions or presenting the lesson. Use the student's worksheet as an example.

Please consider some of these ideas that have been passed on to us at the ADHD Information Library over the years from professional educators.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.

...

Tips for the Classroom Teachers with ADHD Students
Thank you for all that you do in the classroom It is hard enough being a classroom teacher today but when you add to the difficulties two or three children with either Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or minor head injuries from FAS managing a classroom can be a real challenge

Teacher Tips Your Room SetUp and ADHD Students
Thank you to all of our professional educators who dedicate themselves to our children We know how difficult it can be working with ADHD children so here are your teacher tips for the week brought to you by the ADHD Information Library and ADDinSchoolcom You can read over 500 classroom inter

Teachers and School Supplies Help Children Educational Needs Kids in Need
We need to insure that the children have adequate tools to meet their classroom needs are justified This is a critical need Teachers in California and elsewhere have a plight now that is seriously affecting the empowerment of children In California schools there is not enough budget m



teacher - teacher faqs