Tips for a first year teacher

[klooste]

Hi all,

I will be flying to Wuhan China on August 15. I have signed a 2 year contract, but this contract marks the first time I will be teaching in a classroom (without the guidance of a mentor teacher). During my field experience I did many 8am-9pms so (I think) I have a real raw perspective of how demanding our profession is. As for related teaching experience, I have taught at my University as an instructor, ran science camps for kids, and worked at various tutoring agencies. My first field experience was placed at a school which defied inclusive education, as the school only enrolled students with cognitive or physical impairments. I also have about a years worth of experience tutoring ESL students during my intensive mandarin study in Taiwan. I've also got 1TB of resources on my passport (portable HD). These resources range from English, all to Math and Physics (if you ask nicely I may share these resources =P ???????).

If you've read this far then ask me for resources =D.
I need tips (from the trenches): what should a first year teacher do? How demanding should I expect the workload to be? From my understanding, I start school at 730, and leave by 340, but I have a spare (prep period) every day. So I'll only be teaching 3 courses out of 4 blocks (I think). Is it illegal to "borrow" the school's resources? Can anyone on here share their resources, as I assume many of you are experienced educators. I also have things to give as well =D.

Please let me know educators! Essentially I am just asking for tips, warnings, or expectations from first year teaching. I am sorry for not asking specific questions, but I think its becuase my teaching experience is quite limited, so I truly do not know what to expect, or what to avoid.

Thanks again,

Be well

??

[Cailin]

Expect the workload to be heavy - then you may be pleasantly surprised. I doubt you'll work till 9pm but a couple of hours after school anyway.

You may be required or requested to do an after school activity, sometimes paid, sometimes unpaid.

You may have before or after school meetings - I have 2 a week currently.

Can you get in touch with a current teacher at your new school?

[klooste]

Thanks Calin! What sorts of after school activities does your school ask you to do (just curious?) =D

Thanks again for your response (do you need resources, I have everything from Chem AP to Math IB)!

[marieh]

Definitely get a hold of the teacher you'll be replacing (or any current teacher) if you can. A few email exchanges can provide you with a wealth of info as to what to expect.

As far as what you should do: take in everything, remain humble, and ask lots of questions. Watch other teacher's classes periodically so that you can learn new strategies. ASK QUESTIONS! As Cailin said, expect to work hard, but you may be pleasantly surprised. Meetings and after school activities (each teacher at my new school is required to sponsor at least one) can take up time, but some schools schedule these better than others. One last thing: try to keep your expectations in check, pick your battles wisely, and don't get involved in the teacher rumor mill that seems to be a staple of every school I've worked at. Keep your focus on creating and delivering excellent lessons and working as a team with the other teachers.

If you're interested in AP Chemistry and AP Physics modelling materials, let me know via PM. I have a ton on Google Drive. I'd also be interested in any physics/chem stuff you may have.

[fine dude]

Tips: collaborate with your team, model classroom behavior and use creative ways to attract attention of students (e.g., show what 40 minutes mean), involve students in framing classroom rules and be very consistent and firm with them, spend a disproportionate amount of time with your weaker students, give high quality feedback, provide multiple opportunities for students to ask questions, praise student work (not students themselves), have a journal to take note of what worked and what didn't (even, surgeons have one these days), document sample evidence of your student learning and use it during parent-teacher conferences (parents won't argue much when they see hard facts at hand), communicate with your students' parents, particularly the weaker ones and warn them ahead of time if their kids are in danger of failing, and most of all, celebrate student success.

Warnings: don't sign up for too many committees, don't hesitate to say 'No' at some point

[Keiora]

I loved this!!! I know I'm dragging this thread from the depths, but I wanted to say thanks! <3