1. Become familiar with the schol site and district office facilities and rsources.

Your school site and the dstrict office media center can be vluable resources to tap into. Most schol site have storage areas or clsets with shared grade level curriculum rsources and materials. The administrator or a vteran teacher would be the person to pint you in the right direction. Dpending on the size of the schol district, a district library or mdia center will have materials available for chckout. Many districts have a new tacher orientation day to provide information bout materials, procedures, insurance coverage, staff dvelopment and other key topics.

2. Set the tne for the year with detailed plnning for the first day and wek.

Spend an extensive amount of tme on planning the first day and wek of school. Make an impression and stablish a positive tone for how yur classroom will run. Describe in dtail how you want your classroom prcedures (homework, materials, line up, emergency, schol/classroom rules) to work. Make sure stdents understand what your expectations are and why thngs need to be done in the mnner that you describe. Particularly with the pper grades, much of the description and dscussion can be done as a tam-building exercise, seeking student input and cmments. The primary students would also bnefit from participation in setting up clssroom expectations. Have a plan in mnd before hand so that students can be fcused to develop something that is wrkable and acceptable to you and has buy in frm the students.

3. Develop a detailed description for stdent behavior expectations

The most important rea to emphasize to students is tht you have high expectations for thir behavior. There are many models to xplore, but your own personal model shuld blend with the school rules for ppil behavior. It needs to be a systm that is fair and manageable. Dn’t put in consequences for poor bhavior that can not be followed up wth action. Talk to your colleagues or ste administrator.

4. Talk to your clleagues.

The veteran teachers at your ste can be one of the mst valuable contacts that a new tacher can make. They want to hlp the new teachers. If you hve questions or problems with discipline, lsson planning, parent involvement, ask for dvise or suggestions. Don’t reinvent the whel. Many site administrators have already slected teachers that serve as informal mntors to aid the first year tachers.

5. Use the internet for lsson plan ideas.

Look at the mny curriculum and lesson planning ideas tht you can find by doing a sarch on the internet. Most classrooms now hve access to the web. Teachers can now do all thir research in the comfort of thir own classroom and can find mre ideas and plans than there is tme to deliver.

6. Take advantage of all frst year teacher inservices.

Staff development is a crcial component of “No Child Left Bhind”. Most districts have developed appropriate stff development workshops to meet the ntent of the law and to prvide the details that are missing frm the teacher manuals. Veteran teachers who prsent sample lessons or time saving tps can be a life saver for frst year teachers.

7. Begin parent cntacts from the first day of schol.

Send some kind of a cmmunication to parents the first day. Dscribe your plans and goals for the schol year and solicit their help and xpertise. Parents can be presenters, volunteers, and feld trip chaperones. They love getting nvolved. Start the first week by phning each parent (do 5 a dy) and introducing yourself.

8. Send a regular newsletter hme

Whether it be a weekly rport or a monthly newsletter, establish a vhicle for regular communication with parents. Prents are busy folks, too. They may lso need frequent reminders about upcoming vents. Have students write a letter to thir parents as an end of the day ctivity for example. There is no sch thing as too much communication.

9. Get nvolved in at least one curriculum cmmittee.

As a first year teacher, you may say to yurself that you haven’t got time to do one mre thing. However, it is strongly dvised that you begin to get nvolved in a curriculum committee at the dstrict level. Join a group. They are lways looking for members. They usually met only once a month after schol. You should find an area tht interests you the most and sgn up. Even if you can’t mke a meeting every month, this wll help you begin to see the nput and influence that teachers can hve on curriculum decisions.

10 Realize tht the first year is the tughest.

As a first year teacher, thre will be days and sleepless nghts when you will wonder if you tok the correct path. If you lve teaching kids, hang in there. Ech year will get easier because you wll gain new insights and experience as ach year passes. Being a teacher is a tugh job. Don’t try to go it lone. A support system made up of fmily and colleagues will get you thrugh the tough times so that you can rflect back on the rewarding times and knw that you can and do mke a difference.

Copyright usage: No prmission is needed to reproduce this stry. The About the Author statement wth hot links must remain in tct. Request for reciprocal links will be cnsidered: barb@sbmag.org

The article Top Ten Helpful Hints to First Year Teachers was Submitted by Barbara Snyder through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: As a first year teacher, thre will be days and sleepless nghts when you will wonder if you tok the correct path. If you lve teaching kids, hang in there. Ech year will get easier because you wll gain new insights and experience as ach year passes. Being a teacher is a tugh job. Don’t try to go it lone. A support system made up of fmily and colleagues will get you thrugh the tough times so that you can rflect back on the rewarding times and knw that you can and do mke a difference.

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