Fifty Lessons You May Have Learned This Year

1. If you’ll just listen to your students before taking action, you will avoid having to backtrack on many decisions that you had convinced yourself were sound ones.
2. Reinforcing good behavior is much more fun than punishing bad behaviors.
3. Parents are serious when they tell you that they would rather hear about a problem when it is small and solvable instead of a major headache. Don’t hesitate to call home. Do it early. Do it often.
4. It is crucial that you teach students how to do their work. They can’t learn study skills without guidance.
5. Asking students to tell you what they have learned from a lesson is more likely to elicit enduring knowledge than if you tell them what you think they should have learned.
6. Passing out materials can take forever and be a huge hassle until you figure out how to do it efficiently.
7. If a child misbehaves, sometimes all you have to do is move that student to another seat.
8. You have to give a rubric when actually making an assignment for it to be effective in guiding students as they make choices about their work.
9. It is always wise to think before you speak and to think again before you act.
10. Every now and then you should reexamine your classroom rules and procedures. Are they still working for you and your students?
11. Few students can succeed without your high expectations. You will get what you expect, so you may as well aim high.
12. Open-ended questions can be loads of fun for everyone in the class—including the teacher.
13. If you want to take a new approach to a topic under study, you can change the process or the product or both.
14. Document, document, document. Even the stuff that you think you will never need has a way of becoming necessary later.
15. Deeper understandings usually take longer to acquire. You can’t rush substance.
16. It’s important to laugh with your students.
17. Students will beg all week for free time and as soon as they have some, announce that they are bored.
18. Even young students need to be reminded of their future goals so that they will stay on task.
19. Learned helplessness is not an easy attitude to combat. It takes patience and determination and lots of time to undo its stubborn comfort. Be persistent. It’s worth the effort.
20. The worst behaved child in your class deserves your best efforts.
21. Determining the appropriate level of challenge in an assignment takes lots of practice.
22. Ask students to focus on essential questions and you will reap unexpected rewards.
23. Take a problem solving approach to discipline issues and you will be closer to having command of a situation.
24. The paperwork load at the end of the school year is truly staggering. Take it one page at a time.
25. Appealing to your students’ different learning styles can stretch a lesson to unforeseen depths.
26. For most students to consider work meaningful, they need to know how they can benefit from it right now.
27. For some students, a teacher is the lifeline to a world of possibility.
28. Students have a keen sense of fair play. They have an even keener awareness of unfair play.
29. Being positive about your school, your colleagues, your students, your classroom, and your workload beats being negative any day of the week.
30. Don’t hesitate to give a student a second chance. And hope for one in return.
31. When things are tough, remind yourself that what is bothering you probably won’t matter a year from now.
32. Who you are is more important to a child than what you say.
33. Three days is the absolute longest that a set of papers should remain ungraded and unreturned.
34. Teach tolerance every day. It takes a thousand small steps, but eventually they will add up.
35. Once that excited hum of busy students fills a classroom, you will find it easier to get out of bed and come back to school the next day.
36. Always have a backup plan. Your probably need a backup plan for your backup plan. Actually, having a file of backup plans is a great idea.
37. Teachers have to choose to do what’s best for their students, not what’s easiest.
38. Respect comes from the many small things you do in the classroom every day.
39. Teach your students an important life skill: to clean up after themselves every day.
40. Students need to be taught listening skills. Just a few minutes every day will make a big difference.
41. Sarcasm is an unfair weapon to use against a child.
42. Active learners rarely have time to complain.
43. No single approach holds all the answers. It takes a multifaceted methodology to reach every child every day.
44. If you smile at a child who is getting ready to misbehave, you will often confuse that child into good behavior instead.
45. Teaching, in order to be successful, must be a purposeful activity.
46. If you want to reduce discipline issues, connect with your students. If you want to connect with your students, listen more than you speak.
47. You have to create a reasonable policy about how and when students are allowed to leave the room and stick to it.
48. Teachers who can learn to accept constructive criticism gracefully--no matter who gives it--will avoid burnout.
49. Setting group goals is an excellent way to have students figure out how to work well together.
50. The ability to see the future in the face of a child is the sustaining hallmark of a great teacher.

Fifty Don'ts to Save Your Career

1.     Don’t allow small problems to become large ones.

2.     Don’t refuse to honor school rules even if you don’t agree with them.

3.     Don’t try to teach without being prepared.

4.     Don’t touch a student in a way that could be misconstrued.

5.     Don’t model a lack of integrity. Follow the rules for photocopying material and showing movies.

6.      Don’t use food as a reward.

7.     Don’t allow yourself to be alone with a student.

8.     Don’t curse or use nonstandard English around your students.

9.     Don’t neglect to return phone calls within twenty-four hours.

10.  Don’t leave your students unattended even briefly.

11.  Don’t overlook serious student problems such as drug and alcohol abuse, neglect, or weapons.

12.  Don’t give students free time where they have nothing to do.

13.  Don’t be a boring teacher. Mix it up!

14.  Don’t be sarcastic. You are the grownup in the room.

15.  Don’t allow students to make fun of each other or to otherwise engage in horseplay.

16.  Don’t give up on your students who struggle.

17.  Don’t agree “not to tell” when a student tells you confidential information. You may be legally required to act on it.

18.  Don’t take suicide threats lightly.

19.  Don’t allow students to leave campus with an unauthorized adult.

20.  Don’t ignore the signs that your students are restless and bored with a lesson.

21.  Don’t allow students to sleep because they are “not bothering anyone.”

22.  Don’t ignore your own stress levels.

23.  Don’t break the laws regarding confidentiality and privacy of student information.

24.  Don’t try to be a pal to your students. They already have friends.

25.  Don’t neglect to spend enough time learning school rules and procedures.

26.  Don’t act in anger.

27.  Don’t fail to allow for differences in learning styles.

28.  Don’t underestimate the importance of motivation before, during, and after a lesson.

29.  Don’t call in sick when you are not sick.

30.  Don’t hesitate to ask for help.

31.  Don’t assign work as punishment.

32.  Don’t assume students are mastering the material. Monitor carefully.

33.  Don’t lower your expectations when students find the work difficult. Help them instead.

34.  Don’t be inconsistent in implementing your behavior policies.

35.  Don’t hide your mistakes from a mentor or administrator. Ask for help when you are in error.

36.  Don’t confront a misbehaving student in front of other students.

37.  Don’t get in a win/lose situation with a student, student’s parent, or a colleague.

38.  Don’t take the unpleasant aspects of student misbehavior personally.

39.  Don’t punish the entire group for the misbehavior of one or two students.

40.  Don’t hold grudges when your students misbehave.

41.  Don’t forget to teach classroom rules and procedures as often as it takes.

42.  Don’t be too tentative, too permissive.

43.  Don’t give too many negative directions.

44.  Don’t overreact to a simple situation.

45.  Don’t neglect to set boundaries for your students.

46.  Don’t avoid proofreading your own work.

47.  Don’t call parents without being prepared and professional.

48.  Don’t begin teaching without having their attention.

49.  Don’t forget that young people don’t always use good judgment.

50.  Don’t forget to look beyond the behaviors you can observe to determine the underlying causes.

At Last! The Third Edition Is on Its Way!

For those of you who have purchased my books, read my blog, and Tweeted along with me over the last few years, I am very pleased to announce that the third edition of The First-Year Teacher's Survival Guide will be published next week! Although the book only took about a year to actually write, it contains about thirty-five years of classroom experience.

What I have here is two of the tables of contents for this book. The first one is just the titles of each of the seventeen main sections. The second one is a detailed listing of the contents of the printed material. You can probably see from the cover that there is also a DVD that accompanies the book. The DVD contains bonus material as well as all of the handouts in the book so that they can easily be electronically accesses for printing.

I've updated my Web site (www.juliagthompson.com) if you would like to learn more about the book. Just click on the links you’ll find there and you can find all sorts of useful information.

It was my goal to pack a book with just about everything that a first-year teacher would need to have the confidence to go ahead and have a great year.

 

Table of Contents One

CONTENTS AT A GLANCE

I. Assume Your Professional Responsibilities

Section One: Know What It Means to Be a Twenty-First-Century Educator

Section Two: Develop the Practical Skills You’ll Need to Manage a Classroom
Section Three: Collaborate with Others in Your School and Community

II. Establish a Learning Community

Section Four: Begin a Successful School Term

Section Five: Develop Positive Classroom Relationships

 III. Promote Student Achievement

Section Six: Control Class Time

Section Seven: Manage Your Classroom
Section Eight: From Reluctant to Engaged: Motivate Students to Succeed

 IV. Design and Deliver Effective Instruction

Section Nine: Choose Appropriate Instructional Strategies and Resources

Section Ten: Design Effective Instruction
Section Eleven: Deliver Engaging Instruction
Section Twelve: Meet the Needs of All of Your Students
Section Thirteen: Assess Your Students’ Progress
Section Fourteen: Level the Playing Field: Cover Basic Skills

 V. Maintain an Orderly Environment

Section Fifteen: Prevent Discipline Problems

Section Sixteen: Manage Discipline Problems
Section Seventeen: Learn to Solve Classroom Problems

 

Table of Contents Two

CONTENTS

About the Author

Acknowledgements
About This Survival Guide

 I. Assume Your Professional Responsibilities

Section One: Know What It Means to Be a Twenty-First-Century Educator

The Challenges of Our Changing Profession

You Can Manage Your Professional Challenges Successfully

Professionalism: The Powerful Force Underlying Everything We Do

Your Professional Responsibilities

Become a Reflective Teacher

Developing a Reflective Practice

Teacher Worksheet 1.1: Template for Professional Self-Reflection

Teacher Worksheet 1.2: Characteristics of Successful Teachers

Teacher Worksheet 1.3: Learning from Exemplary Teachers

Finding Role Models and Working Well with Mentors

Seeking Feedback on Your Professional Performance

Teacher Worksheet 1.4: Making the Most of Peer Observations

Teacher Worksheet 1.5: Lesson Study Observation

Using the Evaluation Process to Improve Your Teaching Skills

Teacher Worksheet 1.6: How Observers Will Evaluate You

Teacher Worksheet 1.7: Data Tracking Sheet

Maintaining Sustained Professional Growth

Teacher Worksheet 1.8: Are You in Charge of Your Career?

Teacher Worksheet 1.9: Track Your Professional Goals

Learning to Manage Your Stress

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Know What It Means to Be a Twenty-First Century Educator

 

Section Two: Develop the Practical Skills You’ll Need to Manage a Classroom

Arrange Your Own Work Area

Become an Efficient Teacher

Teacher Worksheet 2.1: Meet Your Classroom Priorities

Teacher Worksheet 2.2: A Teacher’s Daily To-Do List

Teacher Worksheet 2.3: Checklist of a Teacher’s Weekly Reminders

General Tips for Managing School Papers

How to Organize and Manage Student Information

How to Grade Papers Quickly

Tips for Managing Electronic Files

Tips for Managing E-Mail

How to Maintain Your Class Web Page

How to Save Paper

Optimize Your Use of the Photocopier

Prepare Your Classroom for Students

How to Protect School Resources

How to Request Repairs

Classroom Safety Issues

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Develop the Practical Skills You’ll Need to Manage a Classroom

 

Section Three: Collaborate with Others in Your School and Community

Your School Community: A Network of Teams

Communities of Practice

Where Do You Fit In as a New Teacher?

Building Trust: The Importance of a Reputation for Integrity

Strategies for Effective Collaboration

How to Handle Professional Disagreements

Quick Tips for Developing Professional Relationships

What Your Coworkers Expect from You

Working Well with Difficult Colleagues

Social Media Guidelines

The Importance of Perfect Attendance

The Support Staff

The Chain of Command

Collaborate Successfully with Administrators

Working Well with Parents and Guardians

What Parents and Guardians Expect from You

Prevent Miscommunication with a Transparent Classroom

Teacher Worksheet 3.1: How Effective Are You at Creating a Transparent Classroom?

The Importance of Keeping Contact Records

Teacher Worksheet 3.2: Home Contact Documentation Form

Be Positive with Parents and Guardians

Sample 3.1: Sample Positive Message to Parents or Guardians

Open House

Take Care to Interact Professionally

Class Newsletters

Conduct Successful Conferences with Parents and Guardians

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Collaborate with Others in Your School and Community

 

II. Establish a Learning Community

Section Four: Begin a Successful School Term

The First Day Is Important

Overcome Those First-Day Jitters

What to Do on the First Day: Your Priorities

First-Day-of-School Welcome Packet

Parent or Guardian Worksheet 4.1: Inventory: Please Tell Me About Your Child

Sample 4.1: Letter of introduction to Parents or Guardians

Activities for the First Day

Teacher Worksheet 4.1: Planning Template for the First Day of School

Teacher Worksheet 4.2: Checklist for the First Day of School

Student Information Records

Student Worksheet 4.1: Student Information Form

Learn Your Students’ Names Quickly

How to Get to Know Your Students

Student Worksheet 4.2: Inventory for Elementary Students

Student Worksheet 4.3: Inventory for Middle School Students

Student Worksheet 4.4: Inventory for High School Students

Additional Topics for Student Inventories

Create a Positive Group Identity

What You Can Expect During the First Week

Mistakes to Avoid at the Start of School

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Begin a Successful School Term

 

Section Five: Develop Positive Classroom Relationships

Develop a Positive Relationship with Students

Teacher Worksheet 5.1: How Appropriate Are Your Relationships with Students?

Teacher Worksheet 5.2: Are You a Good Role Model?

Help Students Learn to Relate Well to Each Other

Teacher Worksheet 5.3: Checklist of Social Skills All Students Should Master

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Develop Positive Classroom Relationships

 

III. Promote Student Achievement

Section Six: Control Class Time

You Control the Time Your Students Have With You

How Teachers Waste Time

Teacher Worksheet 6.1: How Well Do You Use Class Time?

Principles of Effective Classroom Time Management

Raise Your Students’ Awareness of Class Time

How to Handle Interruptions

Pacing Instruction

The First Ten Minutes of Class

Teacher Worksheet 6.2: Plans for Starting Class Effectively

Productive Transitions

How to Handle Requests to Leave the Classroom

Sample 6.1: Hall Pass

Teacher Worksheet 6.3: Student Sign-Out Sheet

The Last Ten Minutes of Class

Teacher Worksheet 6.4: Plans for Ending Class Effectively

How to Use Any Time Left at the End of Class

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Control Class Time

 

Section Seven: Manage Your Classroom

A Well-Managed Classroom

How to Focus Your Class on Good Behavior

The Importance of Clear Expectations

Procedures, Policies, Rules: When to Apply Each One

Policies You Will Need to Develop

Teacher Worksheet 7.1: Planning for Classroom Policies

Establish Procedures

Teacher Worksheet 7.2: Where to Find Help with Establishing Procedures

Suggestions for Establishing Three Necessary Procedures

Teach and Enforce School Rules

Creating Classroom Rules

Teacher Worksheet 7.3: Checklist to Determine If Your Rules Will Be Successful

Teaching Classroom Rules

Enforcing Classroom Rules

Enlisting Student Support for Class Rules

Positive or Negative Consequences?

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Manage Your Classroom

 

Section Eight: From Reluctant to Engaged: Motivate Students to Succeed

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Be Positive If You Want Positive Results

Lay a Solid Foundation

Motivate Your Students with a Variety of Methods

Extrinsic Motivation

Make Sure Intrinsic Motivation Is a Classroom Constant

Make Success Attainable

Teach Your Students to Follow Directions

Purposeful Learning

Teacher Worksheet 8.1: Assignment Checklist

Take a Goal-Oriented Approach to Learning

Student Worksheet 8.1: Setting and Achieving SMART Goals

Use Frequent Smaller Goals to Motivate Students

Make Success Visible

Teaching Students to Track Their Own Mastery of Material

Student Worksheet 8.2: Progress Tracking Chart

How to Survive the Homework Debate

Sample 8.1: Homework Letter from a Teacher

Teacher Worksheet 8.2: Plan Successful Homework Assignments

Student Worksheet 8.3: Missing Homework Explanation Form

Student Worksheet 8.4: Class Log

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: From Reluctant to Engaged: Motivate Students to Succeed

 

IV. Design and Deliver Effective Instruction

Section Nine: Choose Appropriate Instructional Strategies and Resources

Take Advantage of the Advances in Educational Research

Why Small, Strategic Steps Are the Keys to Success

Overview of Just a Few of the Instructional Options Teachers Have

Socratic Seminar

Classroom Technology Resources to Aid Your Instructional Practices

Useful Web Sites for Educators

“There’s an App for That!”

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Choose Appropriate Instructional Strategies and Resources

 

Section Ten: Design Effective Instruction

The Benefits of Careful Planning

Backwards Design: Think Big, but Start Small

Cover the Curriculum or Teach Your Students?

How Prepared Should You Be?

Common Planning Problems

How to Find the Time to Plan

Your State’s Standards

The Common Core State Standards Initiative

Assess Your Students’ Prior Knowledge

How to Begin Planning Instruction

Teacher Worksheet 10.1: Format for a Course Overview

Teacher Worksheet 10.2: Format for a Unit Plan

What to Include in Your Plans

Teacher Worksheet 10.3: Easy-to-Use Format for Lesson Plans

Successful Learning for Nontraditional Schedules

How to Adjust a Lesson

Always Have a Backup Plan

Twenty-Five Backup Plan Options

Free Online Resources for Lesson Plans

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Design Effective Instruction

 

Section Eleven: Deliver Engaging Instruction

Guidelines for Improving Your Classroom Charisma

Pitfalls That Plague Too Many Teachers

Improve Your Oral Presentations

How to Make a Point Students Will Remember

How to Help Students Stay on Track during a Lecture

Conduct Class Discussions That Engage Every Student

The Power of Play: Using Toys to Capture Attention

Games Your Students Will Enjoy

Puzzle and Game Sites

Use Graphic Organizers to Engage Students

Provide Learning Centers for Enrichment and Remediation

Two Simple Techniques: Learning Cubes and Colored Dot Labels

Providing Models, Examples, and Samples

How to Make Seatwork Appealing

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Deliver Engaging Instruction

 

Section Twelve: Meet the Needs of All of Your Students

Differentiated Instruction to Support All Learners

 Teacher Worksheet 12.1: Individualized Instruction Worksheet

Teacher Worksheet 12.2: Questions to Determine Differentiated Instruction Strategies

Students Who May Need Special Care

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Meet the Needs of All of Your Students

 

Section Thirteen: Assess Your Students’ Progress

Use the Spectrum of Assessments to Your Advantage

Data-Driven Instruction: Summative and Formative Assessments

How to Use Formative Assessments

Teacher Worksheet 13.1: Tracking Formative Assessment Data

Types of Formative Assessments

How to Gather Baseline Data Before Beginning a Unit of Study

Using Review Sessions as Formative Assessments

A Useful Formative Assessment Strategy: Exit Tickets

Offer Helpful Feedback

Use Podcasts to Respond to Student Work

Encourage Students to Learn from Their Errors

Student Worksheet 13.1: Assignment Reflection

The Two Most Common Written Assessments: Tests and Quizzes

Create Useful Objective Questions

How to Grade Objective Questions Quickly

Conduct Rules for Quizzes and Tests

What to Do if Many of Your Students Fail a Test or Quiz

Types of Authentic Assessments

Sample 13.1: A Simple Rubric

Keeping Track of Grades

Student Worksheet 13.2: Grade Tracking Form for Student Success

How to Personalize a Grade Report

What You Should Do When Students Challenge Grades

What to Do When You Suspect a Student of Cheating

How to Manage Cyber Cheating

Extra Credit Dilemmas and Solutions

Success with Standardized Tests

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Assess Your Students’ Progress

 

Section Fourteen: Level the Playing Field: Cover Basic Skills

Why It Is Important to Cover Basic Skills

Media Literacy Skills

Listening Skills

Oral Presentation Skills

Writing Skills

Vocabulary Acquisition Skills

Critical Thinking Skills

Reading Skills

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Level the Playing Field: Cover Basic Skills

 

V. Maintain an Orderly Environment

Section Fifteen: Prevent Discipline Problems

Punishment Is Not the Way to Prevent Problems

Self-Discipline Is the Key

Be Aware of the Causes of Most Discipline Problems

Easily Avoidable Mistakes Many Teacher Make

Teacher Worksheet: 15.1: How Effective Are You at Preventing Discipline Problems?

Your Role in Preventing Discipline Problems

Teacher Worksheet 15.2: Preventing or Minimizing Discipline Problems

Be Positive: Nothing Creates Success Like Success

Become a Consistent Teacher

Become a Fair Teacher

Withitness: One of the Most Valuable Prevention Techniques

Teacher Worksheet 15.3: What Is Your Level of Withitness?

The Crucial Step in Developing Withitness: Monitoring

How Students Can Get Help Quickly

Earn Your Students’ Respect

An Unexpected Tip: Be a Good Listener

Early Intervention Strategies

When You Should Act

Harness the Power of Positive Peer Pressure

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Prevent Discipline Problems

 

Section Sixteen: Manage Discipline Problems

Myths about Discipline

Control Your Anxiety with Proactive Strategies

Behaviors You Should Not Accept

What Do Your Supervisors Expect from You?

Respond Instead of Just Reacting

Teacher Worksheet 16.1: Classroom Management Techniques to Avoid

How to Avoid a Lawsuit: A Teacher’s Legal Responsibilities

Teacher Worksheet 16.2: Behavioral Incident Report

Due Process Procedures

Cultivate Grace under Pressure

Great Advice: Don’t Take It Personally

You May Be the Troublemaker

Think before You Act

Don’t Give Up on Your Difficult Students

How to Deal with a Difficult Class

Cope with a Student’s Chronic Misbehavior

How to Hold Successful Conferences with Students Who Have Misbehaved

Put Detentions to Good Use

Manage Referrals to an Administrator with Confidence

Handling Four Common Types of Student Misbehavior

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Manage Discipline Problems

 

Section Seventeen: Learn to Solve Classroom Problems

Be Guided by Sound Principles

Questions to Consider When You Are Trying to Solve Classroom Problems

Take a Problem-Solving Approach

Teacher Worksheet 17.1: Work Through Classroom Problems

Problems Associated with Individual Students

Problems Associated with Enforcing School Policies or Rules

Problems Associated with Behavior During Instruction

Problems Associated with Students’ Relationship with Their Teacher

Best Practices Checklist

Time to Reflect: Learn to Solve Classroom Problems

 

A Final Word

Index

Quiz Yourself! How Close Are You to Being a Perfect Teacher?

Listen to a Quick Interview!

Have you checked out the interview I did with Rae Pica, Bonnie Harris, and David Boomfeld on the educators's channel at BAM radio yet? It does not take long and may give you some ideas about how to handle things when students push your buttons.
http://www.bamradionetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=35&Itemid=65

Quiz Yourself!

Maintaining a reflective practice is something that comes easy to most teachers. We are always looking for ways to teach better and to interact with our students in meaningful and productive ways. One way to think about how you can improve or, if you are a novice teacher-to-be (congrats on getting the job!), is to think about what students really want from a teacher.

In working on the third edition of the book I've written for new teachers, I came across this self-assessment that I wrote a year or so ago. In it, you'll find the character traits that students want from their teachers. Quiz yourself...if you are already checking out teacher blogs, you'll probably do just fine!

Don't forget--the more you can check below, the closer to the ideal teacher your students will thin you are!

The perfect teacher:

1. _____Enjoys being around all students and does not have favorites

2. _____Assigns lots of different types of activities

3. _____Has a great sense of humor

4. _____Understands student problems and tries to help

5. _____Acts like an adult and not a child

6. _____Doesn’t just hand out assignments, but teaches the material

7. _____Always keeps promises

8. _____Is strict, but not too strict

9. _____Admits when he or she is wrong

10. _____Makes sure everyone understands how to do an assignment correctly

11. _____Is well-organized

12. _____Spends time after class to help students

13. _____Returns papers promptly

14. _____Is friendly and fair to everyone

15. _____Knows the subject matter

16. _____Does not allow lots of misbehavior

17. _____Stays open-minded

18. _____Is enthusiastic about the subject

19. _____Is willing to listen to both sides of an issue

20. _____Is polite to everyone all of the time