The fifth edition of The First-Year
Teacher's Survival Guide will be
published this spring! Michelle Cummings, a nationally recognized educator,
took on the task of updating the material in the fourth edition so that today's
new teachers can not only survive, but thrive. Michelle is a terrific
choice for this task as she has extensive experience as a teacher, principal,
assistant superintendent, and as the former Chief Academic Officer at Teachers Pay
Teachers (TPT). She graduated from Brown University and earned her Ed.M. at
Harvard Graduate School of Education. Michelle can be contacted for workshops
and speaking engagements through her website (michelle-cummings.com) where she also shares insights on a wide range of
educational topics
and at Michelle@michelle-cummings.com. Her expert insight into the challenges that
beginning teachers face is evident in up-to-date advice to help novice teachers
develop practical classroom skills. What a pleasure it is to see that the
impact of The
First-Year Teacher's Survival Guide will
be even stronger as Michelle lends her voice, her experience, and her
understanding to the task of making that first year a positive one!
JULIA G. THOMPSON
PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR BUSY TEACHERS
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Exciting Changes On the Way!
Monday, August 23, 2021
Tenth and Last in a Series Just for New Teachers
A Few Things to Keep in Mind When Dealing with Difficult and Challenging Students
Several times I have mentioned that the slides here come from the seminars I presented before the pandemic changed everything. I have to admit that it was fun to be in a large room with lots of fellow educators sharing ideas about how to help every student succeed. It was not as much fun as being in a classroom with young students, but it was fun. It has been encouraging lately to see posts across a variety of social media platforms where teachers expressed their joy and excitement at finally being reunited with students in a classroom setting. I wish that same joy and excitement to every reader of this series. Many challenges lie ahead but by nature, teachers are resilient beings. You can do this.
In this little series of slides, I hit some of the basics of successfully resolving conflicts with students.
Hope this helps you have the BEST SCHOOL YEAR EVER!
Sunday, August 15, 2021
Part Nine of a Series Just for New teachers
Let the Cause of the Misbehavior Guide Your Reaction
In this series of posts, I offer suggestions to new teachers for ways to manage and support students who may be challenging, difficult, and disruptive. The suggestions here come from the presentations I made in pre-pandemic times when I was fortunate enough to spend days at a time working with rooms filled with teachers. I am looking forward to the time when we can all safely gather in large groups to share ideas and strategies again. However, until that time comes around, here is some information that may help you deal successfully with your students so that you and they can have a positive and productive school year.
If you want to help students develop the behaviors that will allow them to succeed in school and to learn to self-regulate their actions, you first must consider what is causing them to choose the behaviors that they are exhibiting in your class. Here are are few suggestions for looking beyond the misbehavior to discover the cause that can eventually lead to a successful resolution of the problem.
Sunday, August 8, 2021
Part Eight of a Series Just for New Teachers
Some Suggestions for Successful Interventions
One of the most difficult skills to develop as a new teacher is learning to intervene successfully when a student misbehaves. It is very easy to overreact or to react in anger and frustration or to just react without thinking through the end result of what your intervention could cause. The art of intervening effectively when there is a behavior incident takes time and practice and planning. Here are a few suggestions for how to think about making the kind of interventions that will make your classroom a peaceful and productive place for your students and for yourself.
Tuesday, August 3, 2021
Part Seven of a Series Just for New Teachers
Think Through the Problem to Reduce the Tension
In a continuing series designed with new teachers in mind, I've decided to share some slides from the seminars about how to successfully support and manage difficult and challenging students I presented pre-pandemic. In this week's post, I think it is first important to see the cycle that most classroom misbehavior follows so that you can figure out how to stop the cycle and get your students working successfully and productively.
Another thing to consider when attempting to break the cycle is to stay in control of your emotions and to approach your students with a calm, matter-of-fact dignity. You can always vent your frustrations later in private, but forcing students to have to react to your loss of control will not be productive.
Finally, think carefully about the timing of your interventions. Acting quickly can often keep small problems from exploding.
Sunday, July 25, 2021
Part Six of a Series Just for New Teachers
How to Redirect Students Successfully
One of the most important ways to help all students--not just the difficult or challenging ones--succeed is to redirect their behavior just as soon as it begins to veer off course. Learning how to do this in such a way that your students can maintain their dignity, focus, and standing among their classmates is crucial to maintaining the classroom environment that you want for your students and for yourself. In the slides below (taken from the seminars that I presented pre-pandemic), you can find classroom-tested suggestions for successful redirections.
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Part Five of a Series Just for New Teachers
Prevention Is One Key to a Productive Classroom Atmosphere
Although difficult and challenging students can be found in every school setting, one of the most important hallmarks of a classroom where all students are supported and valued is that many possible problems have simply been prevented. Veteran teachers know that it is far easier to spend the time and effort necessary to prevent misbehavior rather than to have to cope with the stressful aftermath of a behavior incident. In the slides in this part of the series, you will find a variety of ways to prevent or at least mitigate classroom problems.
The first five slides below are self-explanatory suggestions for ways that you can help the students in your classroom succeed.