The New Teacher Toolbox

Proven Tips and Strategies for a Great First Year

Scott M. Mandel

• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781626365186
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Teaching Methods

This edition is a concise yet complete guide for novice teachers, covering all the essentials for getting off to a good start. With new tips for everything from establishing an ideal classroom environment to making it through teacher evaluations, this revised edition of The New Teacher Toolbox helps you plan ahead with confidence, keep your perspective, and prepare for the unexpected. Scott M. Mandel introduces techniques by grade level, making the book easy to read sequentially or as a reference for specific situations. Written in a conversational tone, this completely revised edition includes an expanded section on Internet use and provides field-tested strategies on how to: · Encourage student participation and critical thinking · Establish fair grading practices · Modify instructional methods and curricula for students with special needs · Increase parent involvement · Manage stress and maintain sanity Even experienced teachers can benefit from the practical and straightforward advice in this guide. A must-have for any educator struggling with parent-teacher conferences, writing report cards, and communicating with TSAs—everything new teachers need to know and are too afraid to ask!

PART I

The Room Environment and the First Weeks

Things to Do Before the School Year Begins

What do I need to do before the first day of school?

Arranging Your Classroom

How can I organize the physical classroom to create the most efficient learning environment?

Bulletin Boards

What types of material should I include on my bulletin boards?

A Helpful Binder to Leave for Substitute Teachers

What can I do to prepare a substitute teacher for taking over my classroom?

1

Things to Do Before the School Year Begins

The opening staff meeting had just ended, and Aliya walked into her classroom. It was bare. There were no supplies. She didn’t know what she needed to do first, or second, or third. She knew she needed pencils and paper and basic supplies. She knew she needed to create bulletin boards. However, what she really needed was direction.*

Grade Levels

K–12

Timeline

From two weeks before school begins through the first week of school

The Issue

What do I need to do before the first day of school?

*Basic ideas in this chapter contributed by Teresa Wasinger, Pleasant Valley Middle School, Wichita, Kansas.

THE IDEA

To prepare your classroom effectively, you must complete a number of tasks, procure a number of items, and make a number of decisions. The following to-do list includes the most important areas to address early on:

• Arrange the classroom.

• Get supplies.

• Gather basic information about the school.

• Prepare for the first day.

• Organize the first week’s curriculum.

• Establish procedures.

ARRANGE THE CLASSROOM

When planning the physical layout of your classroom, consider the following ideas:

• Decide on a classroom theme: Choose a major subject area your students will study during the first month of school, such as one of the following examples:

Number sense

Poetry

The Civil War

The solar system

Keep your theme in mind as you arrange the room, particularly when creating bulletin board notices, a welcome sign, and any other decorative room materials.

• Gather bulletin board materials and create bulletin boards (see Chapter 3 on how to create effective bulletin boards).

Ask an experienced teacher on staff, the school office manager, or secretary what bulletin board materials are available, where they are kept, and how they can be procured.

Visit a local teacher-resource store—it will become your home away from home your first year. You can locate over a thousand high-quality teacher stores using the Web site of the NSSEA—National School Supply and Equipment Association (www.teacherstores.com). (Save the receipts. They may be tax-deductible.)

• Decide where to post notices. Choose a prominent, easily accessible place where all students can check every day for pertinent information, such as near or on the door or at the front of the room.

• Make a classroom welcome sign.

• Arrange desks, learning centers, display tables, and student work areas. Choose an arrangement that enables you to have the most student contact within the physical restrictions of the room (see Chapter 2, “Arranging Your Classroom,” for more details).

Teacher Tool

Be sure to have on hand the following indispensable bulletin board items:

• Construction paper

• Push pins or a stapler and staples

• Border (available at educational supply stores or make your own)

Collect the following items throughout the year:

• Curricular materials, including pictures and artifacts, pertaining to themes you will teach—the Internet is a terrific resource for these materials (see Chapter 9, “The Internet as the Ultimate Teacher Resource Center”)

• Generic sayings, slogans, and information you can use anytime throughout the year (such as “Never settle for less than your best”)

GET SUPPLIES

Some supplies will be given to you; some you will have to request. There are many things you will not realize you need until you need them. The following is a list of those supplies virtually every teacher needs at some point during the school year. Most of these will be available at your school. For those you purchase, be sure to save the receipts. You may be reimbursed later in the year; if not, they may be tax-deductible. Parents can donate some of the items (for example, have each child bring in one box of tissues). You might even send home a list of needed supplies, asking parents to donate anything they can.

Table 1.1 Student and Teacher Supplies

Student Work Supplies	Teacher Supplies
• Writing, drawing, and construction paper • Pencils and pens • Crayons • Paste or glue	• Stapler and staples • Paper clips • Rubber bands • Transparent tape • Manila folders • Marking pens (green or blue, not red; see the section in Part III on marking papers and promoting self-esteem) • Rulers • Art supplies (appropriate for projects you have in mind for the school year—get these now before your school possibly runs out) • Grade and roll book

Items Students Request	Teacher Supplies
• Straight and safety pins • Adhesive bandages • Tissues	• Lesson plan book • Attendance materials (check with your school administrator in charge of attendance) • Textbooks and workbooks • Boxes for storage and portfolios • USB flash drive for transferring files and information between your home and school computers

GATHER BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Every school has its own procedures. Some are explicitly told to you, some are in the faculty handbook (if provided), and some you are expected to learn on your own. In addition, every school is its own community. You need to learn whom you can approach for help and whom to avoid because they have their own agendas. Learning about school procedures and people will assist you in becoming a successful member of the school community.

Your first step is to discover who has the information about school procedures and resources. Your administrator or fellow teachers should be able to provide most of the information you need (see Chapter 23, “Ten Ways to Avoid Stress,” for more tips on seeking advice from fellow teachers). The keeper of the majority of school information, however, is the office manager or school secretary (who may also be able to put you in touch with other teachers before the school year begins). This person is critical for you to befriend and go to for assistance.

Following is a list of the minimum information you need to find out about your school:

• Emergency drills (that is, fire, earthquake, tornado, lock-down)

Where does your class assemble?

...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Introduction: What New Teachers Really Want to Know
• Part I: The Room Environment and the First Weeks
• Part II: The Curriculum and the Students
• Part III: Grading
• Part IV: Parents
• Part V: Students Who Have Special Needs
• Part VI: How to Maintain Your Sanity
• Further Reading
• References
• Index