"In a completely rational society, the best of us would aspire to be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something less.  Passing civilization along from one generation to the next ought to be the highest honor and the highest responsibility anyone could have."
                                                                                Lee Iococca (Former Chairman of Chrysler Motor Company)
 
 
    You have a promising professional life before you! Throughout your long and illustrious career, the start of a new school year will bring a sense of optimism and anxiety. Speaking as a seasoned veteran who has taught all levels from pre-K up to advanced master’s degree, I know first-hand that these anxious feelings happen before every school year.

However, those hopes, dreams, and butterflies in the stomach are most pronounced before the very first day of your very first year.  It's a wonderfully distressing time, one that will stay with you for a long, long time as you share your now-old memories with colleagues.

Our first year of teaching has a tremendous impact on our personal and professional life.  A positive experience leads to a long and rewarding career.  A negative one promotes feelings of frustration, embarrassment, and isolation.

The greatest threat to a long and successful teaching career is student misbehavior.  Teachers report it to be their primary source of career-based stress, and former teachers report it to be the number one reason that they left the field.  Nationally, over 1/5 of new teachers leave the profession in the first three years (the rate is higher in low income urban areas).

    Your decision as to whether to return or not for the next year will be based, to a large degree, on your success in managing behavior.  (Believe me, I've been there.  I had lousy training in this area and ventured blindly into the field.  If you care to hear the whole sordid story, CLICK HERE).  We want you to return next year because you've got too much promise to lose you, and the kids and our society need you too much for you to ever leave us previous to your retirement.  We want you to be one of our long-term colleagues.  That successful career path is attained by making use of your college "book learning" while adding the wisdom learned through experience and discussions with, and observations of, skilled colleagues.  To get you off to a good start, you'll find some of the wisdom passed down by formerly new teachers who went on to educate decades of children.
 

TIPS AND THINGS TO DO BEFORE THE SCHOOL YEAR STARTS
1. If the school really needs a teacher badly, negotiate for higher pay, more money for materials, a better room, etc.  If the job was highly competitive, sign the contract and become friendly with the custodian or whoever else is in charge of the materials, supplies, and the equipment room.

2. Learn about the neighborhood in which your school is located.  Take a walk around the area (if it's safe to do so), dropping into businesses and gathering spots, and stopping at parks (and other places where kids gather).

3. Arrange to drop by the school before the first official day.  Introduce or reintroduce yourself to anyone and everyone there.  Check out your classroom to determine if any changes or repairs are needed.  Did the promised materials get delivered to your room?

4. Organize your files from college.  Spend the summer months arranging things so that you can find them easily when you need lessons and materials.

5. Work on your wardrobe.  Is there a stated or expected dress code for teachers at your new school?  Even if you're a "casual" person, consider ways to "dress up" that look with certain accessories or items.  Shoes should be attractive, but comfortable.  Your appearance does make a difference in how you are perceived by students, colleagues, and administrators.  Good grief!...Please be sure that clothes fit well and are clean, unstained, unfrayed, and matching in color and pattern.  Avoid being assigned the nicknames of "rainbow", "test pattern", or "pig pen" by your kids.

6. Obtain a schedule for the first day and week.

7. Find out how many students are enrolled in your class(es).

8. Obtain a list of your students.  Learn the names.  Review the records of your special ed students to become familiar with the IEP goals that apply to your class.  Read through student files for medical, behavioral, or academic concerns.

9. Become familiar with the ethnic/cultural/racial/socio-economic/language background of your students.  Pick up a book on multicultural education, read Dr. Mac's articles on this web site (the link on "Culture, gender, and orientation issues"), or try to convince him to send you material from his workshops.

10. Consider sending a letter of greeting or calling the homes of your students.

11. Become familiar with the school handbook, and school procedures (e.g., ordering books and materials, referring kids to the office, use of photocopy machines, etc.), traditions, etc.

12. Become familiar with the curriculum guidelines.  Know what you have to teach and start figuring out how you're going to teach it in an effective and interesting manner.

13. Prepare the classroom for the first day.  Move in.  Get the place organized and decorated (unless you are going to involve the students in the enhancement of the bare room).

14. Obtain a list of school faculty and staff.  Get to know your colleagues by dropping by their classes before the school year starts up, or introducing yourself to them in the hallways.  Introduce yourself to others sitting near you in orientation meetings.  Attend school functions and insert yourself into conversations in the teachers' lounge (but excuse yourself if you end up sitting with teachers who are negative in their attitudes toward kids and colleagues).  Don't be afraid to ask questions.  We old timers love to show our knowledge and skill.

15. Find out the name of your paraprofessional (if you have one) and spend some personal time with him/her.  Be friendly to the cleaning staff (find out their favorite foods and bring some to them) and cafeteria workers.  If you're not a spontaneously social person, think of things to say to people as you travel to school.

15. If your school has not assigned you a mentor, find one (or two or three).  Make friends with experienced and enthusiastic teachers who have common students, curricular certification, department affiliations, interests, etc.  Don't be afraid to ask for advice.

16. Join a professional group that publishes practical teacher journals (keeping you updated on new developments in the field), and holds conferences in your areas of interest or need.

17. Click here to access a list of free resources for ensuring that the school year starts off right.

18. Click here to see a list of ten more tips for starting the school year right.
 

PLANNING AHEAD BEFORE THE SCHOOL YEAR HAS STARTED

-Use the world wide web to find resources and help.  Check out "thegateway.org" for lesson plans in various areas.  Obtain free learning resources from more than 40 federal agencies at "www.ed.gov/free".  Other sites full of lesson plans and other resources are "www.teachnet.com" and "www.education-world.com".

-If you have the same students for the whole day, schedule activities that require quiet concentration when students are "fresh".  Plan action and movement activities for when students are intellectually or physically tired.

-Schedule the favorite activities of students (e.g., computer, music, art, physical education) after more demanding lessons (e.g., math, reading).

-Devise routines and procedures for recurring school situations (e.g., hallway passing, entering and leaving class, distributing and collecting papers, going to the bathroom, using the water fountain and pencil sharpener, asking questions of the teacher, submitting assignments, duties of monitors and housekeepers, proper use of materials and various parts of the room, storage of belongings, fire drills, etc.).  Provide structure to avoid confusion and misbehavior.  Teach and enforce these routines from day one.

-Prepare for the typical day's trouble spots: pre and post recess/physical education, pre and post lunch, the last period of the day, the minutes just before the ringing of the bell, etc.  Place pre-bell assignments on the board to ensure that students are "on task" from the moment they arrive in your room, devise transitional activities (e.g., puzzles, brain teasers), and plan for the beginning of silent reading, rest time, etc.

-Check out Dr. Mac's Web Site (BehaviorAdvisor.com) every so often for new material, and post any concerns about behavior on the site's bulletin board.  Got some extra time in your schedule? (Fat chance!)  Offer some suggestions to teachers who have posted concerns on the bulletin board.  When colleagues complain about certain kids, tell them to log onto "BehaviorAdvisor.com"

-Consider purchasing the BEST book out there for new and developing teachers... Carolyn McGown's "Classroom Survival and Success for New and Developing Teachers". What makes it so much better than all the others? The other fine texts (listed near the bottom of this page) do offer you important general guideline and suggestions. "Classroom Survival and Success" goes beyond them, giving you the details... how to actually bring these suggestions into proficient practice. Click on the book cover to read excerpts and view the index of topics that are covered. You'll be impressed... and empowered as an educator of young minds.

TIPS FOR WORKING WITH PARENTS AND GUARDIANS

 Getting parents/guardians/caretakers positively and actively involved in the education of their children can be difficult and frustrating at times, but behavior change happens more quickly when homes and schools work in concert.  Some caretakers are faced with home and on-the-job stressors which prevent them from becoming fully involved.  Others would like to become involved, but believe that they do not have the skills or knowledge to help you.  The following suggestions might assist you in working constructively with the other important partners in our team effort to help youngsters develop into productive citizens.

-Consider sending a letter to the home explaining your pedagogical approach, expectations for student achievement and behavior, and behavior management system.

-Invite parents to visit the classroom at selected times.  Involve them in some way (e.g., leading a small reading group, providing remedial assistance to a student) if they are willing and capable.  Be sure to check the school policy on parental visits.

-Consider having students write about classroom learning and activities in a newsletter to be sent home weekly or bi-weekly.  Include tips on ways parents can assist learning in the home (e.g., set up a quiet work area, check over homework, discuss what was presented in class that day, etc.).

-Contact parents with good news about their children.  Accentuate the positive.  Be specific as to what the youngsters did well.

-Contact parents early when you have concerns about behavior or academics.

-Talk with parents about ways in which they can reinforce classroom learning and appropriate behavior.

-Visit families in their homes if that option seems appropriate and is approved with school administration.  Contact creates familiarity and the opportunity to observe how well learning is supported there.

-Send activities home in which parents and child can work together.  Consider whether parents have the language, reading, and academic skills to be helpful.

-Set up a class computer web site that parents can visit.  List homework assignments, upcoming events, class news, and a way for parents to contact you.
 

     The following points are taken from Parents on Your Side (Lee Canter and Associates)

Make sure you have contacted the parents regularly about problems before you call them
     for a conference.

     Be flexible in setting up the meeting time.

     Be sure you have documentation about the child's behavior for referring to specifics
     during the conference.

     Greet the parent warmly.

     Don't have the parent sit on a student-sized chair while you sit in a teacher's chair.

     Be sensitive to the parent's feelings throughout the conference.

     Maintain eye contact (Depending on cultural differences in eye contact)

     Call the parent often by name (Start off with the title and surname).

     Say something complimentary about the student early in the conference.

     Be a good listener.

     Don't do all of the talking. Allow the parents to voice their concerns.

     Ask the parent for their input regarding the student.

     Explain problems in observable and clear terms.

     Don't dredge up old incidences from the past, which have already been dealt with.

     Don't overwhelm the parent with too many problems. Stay focused on key issues.

     Do not discuss other students. If the parent tries to shift the blame to others, stay focused
     on the major reason the conference was set up for.

     Make detailed notes of what was discussed. NOTE: If possible, have another teacher or
     someone from the staff be present as your witness.
 

   More Resources for Working with Your Student's Parents: 
  Elaine McEwan.  How to Deal With Parents Who Are Angry, Troubled, Afraid, or Just Plain Crazy.

  - A web site with tips for setting up a parent-teacher conference:  http://www.iue.edu/Departments/mentor/parent_con.html
 
 

Summary
    Your career will be filled with highs and lows, special moments and tragedies.  There will be times when you feel like a master teacher and times when you will doubt your career choice.  Remember that you'll get better with time, study and experience.  Keep learning.  Keep analyzing situations (good, bad, and indifferent) to determine what you did well and what you need to work on.

    It's a great career.  You influence the future of our world.  I'm proud to call you my colleague.
 
 
 

For more tips on starting your career out right, click here for a related listing of tips.

 
 
 

Again, we're glad you're joining us.
 
 
 

ACTIVITIES
1.

Click on this box

to go to first year teacher stories.  Analyze them and ask yourself "What lesson's can I learn from this reading?"

2. Use the items listed on this page as a checklist.  Which ones have you already accomplished, and what still needs to be done?