Tips for New Teachers

Tip:
Being a new teacher is overwhelming. How about a few tips and resources to help the new teachers you support at your school or district?

1. Establish the classroom rules along with your students. Brainstorm ideas using RapidFire with Inspiration (www.inspiration.com).
2. Share something personal about yourself so your students feel comfortable sharing something about themselves.
3. Establish the classroom climate — the look and feel of your room. You can start out with a more controlled environment and then lead to an environment that is more like controlled chaos when you and your students have developed a good relationship.
4. Learn not only each student's name but as much as you can about them so you can differentiate instruction to meet all of their needs.
5. Find a friend or colleague to ask for help or just to offer a shoulder.
6. Build your students' self-esteem using suggestions from Vermont-NEA's "7 ideas to help build students' self-esteem" (http://www.vtnea.org/ti-2.htm).
7. Become good friends with the school secretary and custodian.
8. Keep students busy and engaged.
9. Keep a journal and reflect on your experiences.

Resources:

• Beginning Teacher's Toolbox
• Ten Tips for Student Teachers
• Ten Tips for New Teachers/Trainers
• Management Tips for New Teachers

Submitted by: Barbara Bray

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