Tips

Starting Out

• You’ll be eager to prove yourself as responsible during your first year, but don’t give other teachers a free ride—you might burn out and they might expect even more from you next year

• Each year that you teach, pick one curriculum area in which you want to improve your teaching

• Keep a balance.  The best lesson plans are well thought out and detailed, but can be modified the instant the teacher sees that students are not grasping the concept

Setting Up The Classroom

• Never allow students to be in a classroom unattended.

• Be prepared to move students and desks during the first few weeks as you get to know the children

• Always keep a desk and set of books ready to go for a new student

• Bulletin boards should be up-to-date and reflect what’s going on in your classroom. Include books written in other languages to meet the needs of your ESOL students  

Grading

• Not all work needs to be graded, but all work should be looked at and corrected by you

• Only the teacher should distribute papers containing a student’s grade

• No matter how you are asked to record the grades, you should always keep a back-up grading sheet for each subject in its own folder. 

• Have a system to track missed work for absent students.

Behavior Management

• Display photos along with written class rules as a visual reminder of the rule

• Follow the three C’s for behavior management: be clear, be concise, and have consequences

• Having set rules and consequences doesn’t make you mean, it makes you fair

• Always check you school’s policy when designing rewards and consequences as part of your behavior management system

• Make sure parents are aware and on board with your behavior management system. It will cut down on problems if you have their support

• Once the consequence has been served, don’t bring up the incident again

• There is a difference between humiliating a child and providing a child with time out to think about his actions

• Know what rules you want for your classroom before the year begins

Interacting with Parents

• Respond to parent concerns by the end of the 2nd day

• Send out conference information to parents at least two weeks ahead of time

• Sit next to instead of across from parents during meetings. It’s less confrontational

• Children experiencing problems at home often find comfort and security in the routines of school

• Document all conversations, even the casual ones, with parents