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Help for New Teachers

Discipline and Classroom Management

The First Days of Middle School (for all teachers)


(In an emergency, go straight to: The First Days of Middle School)

First-Year Teaching / Part Two: A MiddleWeb Listserv conversation -- We asked veteran teachers on the MiddleWeb List to share three or four pieces of "top advice" to beginners. Don't miss this collection of distilled wisdom!
New Teacher SOS -- We turned the tables and asked new middle grades teachers to describe their biggest problems after a few weeks on the job. Veteran teachers at our MiddleWeb Listserv offered suggestions.
First-Year Teaching / Part One: A MiddleWeb Listserv conversation -- If anyone doubts the power of listserv conversation to support teachers and good teaching practice, they only need to read this string. This chat began when Phyllis wrote about her struggles as a first-year teacher. As the conversation progressed, the discussion turned to talk of self-videotaping as a method of improving one's practice. And a spinoff conversation took up the topic of teacher induction and mentoring programs. New teachers are always welcome at the listserv to ask for advice and share experiences.
More advice from our MiddleWeb Listserv discussions -- On this page you'll find links to several recent discussions, most of them instigated by new teachers. For example, in "Classroom Routines and Procedures," veterans share their ideas about moving students about the classroom, walking in the hallway, and passing out papers and books. There's also an emphasis on the practical in our discussion about "Getting the Attention of Students." And you'll find much more by browsing our entries.
Advice for New Teachers from the "Sophomores" -- Education World asked the "sophomores" who faced -- and survived -- that dreaded first year to reflect on their successes and failures. First-year teachers, here is their best advice for getting through it.
Principals Offer Advice to New Job Seekers -- This article from Education World's "Principal Files" shares expert tips with soon-to-be college grads looking for their first teaching positions.
Keep up your spirits! -- If you're a new teacher and find yourself, as Shaundalyn Elliott once did, regretting "spending four years of college majoring in education," read this final entry in Shaundalyn's diary of her first year as a middle grades teacher. At the end of her first year, she wrote: "Now I understand how men and women all over the world remain in this profession for decades! Teaching is one of the few jobs that can provide such a tremendous sense of accomplishment and completion." Read all her weekly diary entries at Education World.
A Middle School Teacher Reflects on Her First Five Years -- When MiddleWeb diarist Ellen Berg signed her first permanent teaching contract, ending five years as a probationary teacher, she reflected on her first half-decade as a professional teacher and shared five lessons she learned. "There have been good, bad, and downright ugly times during my brief career, but every event has contributed to my abilities as a teacher."
On-Line Help for New Teachers -- New Teachers Online explores the experience of being a teacher. Lots of resources, both practical and inspirational. And check out the mentoring helpline!
AdPrima : A Webpage for New Teachers -- A rich source of information for new and experienced teachers. Practical information on curriculum, instruction, learning, thinking skills, lesson plans, teaching and other education topics. The name means "the best" in Latin. Visit the site's main page for many other resources.
"What to Expect Your First Year of Teaching" -- This 35-page report is based on research among winners of the "First Class Teacher Award," a program honoring the nation's outstanding elementary and secondary first-year teachers. What challenges do teachers face during that first year in the classroom? What could school administrators & colleges do to prepare teachers for those challenges? Complete text on-line at the USED website.
What Can New Teachers Do for Themselves? -- "When I read articles about new teachers, I am confronted with such issues as, 'How can we better support new teachers?' That's nice. But why don't I ever read about 'The top 10 ways new teachers can help themselves,' or 'How to make your first years the best years'? The focus of our efforts to help new teachers seems to weigh too heavily on the schools, forgetting to encourage new teachers with practical steps to help themselves." (from "Classroom Leadership," ASCD, May 1999.)
Homepage for New Math Teachers -- An experienced middle grades teacher shares what she's learned. "My first advice to anyone starting in teaching is to be careful of those who claim they know the perfect method of teaching. Teaching is an on-going learning experience."
More Advice for New Teachers -- Don't miss this rich advice from experienced middle grades teachers!
Advice for Soon-to-Be Student Teachers -- This advice for prospective student teachers comes from a Canadian teacher who just completed student teaching. As he notes, many of his thoughts "could probably apply to first-year teachers as well." Excellent tips from the New Teacher listserve.
Beginning Teachers' Tool Box -- This commercial site offers the box "Survival Kit for New Teachers, 2nd Edition" which can be purchased on-line. Also includes useful links and free resources. New teachers will especially appreciate the tips page.
The First Six Weeks of School -- This excerpt from a book of the same title will be particularly useful to sixth grade teachers and all new teachers. Download Chapter 1 at this page.
For the New Teacher -- Series of articles from the Teachers Network, including "Taming the Paper Tiger," "Parent-Teacher Conferences," and "Do You Have a Plan?"
Bad Teaching Practices -- Two math teachers' thoughts about practices that all teachers should avoid. Many of the bad practices are not limited to math!
Keys to Success for New Teachers offers advice from the iloveteaching.com website. And here are some encouraging comments from veteran teachers.
The Seven Habits of Good Teachers Today -- Writer-educator Dorothy Rich thinks back to her experience as a new teacher in the 1950s and describes how today's new teacher must approach the classroom in a much different way.
Time Management -- Thought we'd get your attention. Tips for teachers from TeachNet.com. Also see "The Two-Minute Rule." If you need *less* time, check out Five-Minute Activities (two dozen useful ways to fill up five minutes in class).
Grading -- We've assembled some useful information about grading, including teacher discussions, some sample grading formats, and several articles that will help new and experienced teachers explore grading and classroom assessment in more depth.
Helping Your Students With Homework: A Guide for Teachers -- Homework is a source of frustration for many teachers. That's why Nancy Paulu of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research & Improvement (OERI) produced this site. Filled with ideas from teachers for helping make homework effective, the site is organized around 18 tips for getting homework done.
Creating a Teacher Interview Portfolio -- Ideas from the TeachNet.com website.
A Bill of Rights for Beginning Secondary Teachers - This tough policy paper by a working teacher with experience in elementary, middle and high school proposes that all beginning middle and high school teachers should have, among other rights, "a one-on-one, competent, caring, and qualified mentor" and "a single preparation or reduced load teaching assignment." Includes supporting quotes from beginning teachers.
Young Adolescents' Developmental Needs -- The National Middle School Association created this document to help explain the specialized needs of young adolescents ages 10- 15. Other NMSA resource papers are also available at their site.
How to Motivate Students to Learn -- Students who are engaged in their work are energized by four goals - success, curiosity, originality, and satisfying relationships. How do teachers cultivate these drives in the classroom? These reseachers spent 10 years finding out. Also see the additional resources at the bottom of this article.
Great Expectations: Helpful Hints for Beginning Teachers -- Teaching consultant Jane Bluestein shares her ideas about what every new teacher should want and do.

Discipline and Classroom Management

Big List of Classroom Management Resources -- This "really big list" of classroom management resources was originally developed by graduate students at Monmouth University graduate students. There are classroom management techniques tailored to elementary and secondary education, discipline ideas for new and experienced teachers, tips for handling special education, suggestions for getting organized, strategies for preventing behavior problems, sample classroom rules, ways of creating a caring community, and more.
Classroom Management: Looking for Answers -- MiddleWeb diarist Ellen Berg offers her reflections on classroom management -- drawn from a summer workshop she led. "At the core of what works for me," she writes, "is not some magic set of tricks or one particular discipline system. If discipline systems worked all on their own, all teachers would adopt one and classroom management and discipline would cease to be the most requested topic for professional development from our district's teachers. No, what works for me is my belief system behind the practices I employ." See the overheads from Ellen's presentation.
Preventing Your Rules from Falling Apart -- Excerpt from Preventing Classroom Discipline Problems by Howard Seeman.
A Primer on Classroom Discipline -- Tom McDaniel offers eleven techniques that you can use in your classroom that will help you achieve effective group management and control. Also see the related article, Discipline Techniques That Backfire.
MiddleWeb Listserv Discussion of Classroom Management -- Veteran teachers and principals share advice and experiences with new teachers looking for help. We talk about this topic regularly! Here's our second conversation.
Classroom Management Tips from Education World -- 12 quick tips to help make managing your classroom a breeze! Included are tips for getting to know your students, communicating with parents, getting your day of to a good start, and more.
Discipline Tips from a Teacher-Survivor -- This message from a veteran teacher to the MiddleWeb listserv describes the discipline and classroom management system that saved her career.
Preventing Classroom Discipline Problems -- A book and video package by an experienced educator. Find several questionnaires at this webpage, plus a table of contents, some excerpts, and reviews of the book.
Know When to Discipline! -- An Education World e-Interview with classroom management expert Howard Seeman, Ph.D. When is a discipline problem really a discipline problem?
"You Can Handle Them All" - This site shares a step-by-step approach to handling misbehavior at school and at home. An overview examines the causes of misbehavior, the core needs that motivate humans, and a four-step discipline model. A behavior index applies the model to over 100 specific misbehaviors.
Taking the Bully by the Horns -- Kathy Noll and Dr. Jay Carter have written a book and developed a website to help young people deal with bullies, child violence, and self-esteem issues. The website includes an article about how adults can help "prevent children from becoming a statistic on school grounds," and offers "Bully Advice" for kids & young teens.
Classroom Management -- For a treasure trove of tips, visit Scott Mandel's Teachers Helping Teachers site. Includes a beginner's skinny on grading, including thoughts about what to write on papers. Be sure to scroll down the page. You'll find a varied selection of brief articles, including "Guidelines for Good Classroom Management Practice."
How Has Classroom Management Evolved? -- This article from the McREL education research lab traces the history of classroom management, examines recent changes in the field and provides concrete examples of new approaches.
Discipline Advice from Veteran Teachers -- A collection of e-mail advice collecting from the Middle-L listserve.

Dealing with Tardy Students -- Receiving consistent attendance and punctuality from all your students may prove to be even more of a daunting task than it sounds. Also read these teacher ideas about improving attendance. And these classroom management tips from teachers. Finally, here are some ideas about managing bathroom breaks.


A Great Tool to Connect with Parents at the Beginning of School -- "This is the most valuable thing I've ever done with my students," one middle school teacher wrote about the "Million Words" assignment. "I've built an instant bond with parents," said another. Find out how it works from teachers who are using this terrific strategy!

"The First Days of School" -- It's a rare college student-teaching syllabus that doesn't include Harry and Rosemary Wong's "The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher." See the contents of the book here. You can order the book from any on-line bookstore, including amazon.com. ($20). This teacher has summarized some of Wong's key points on her site.

In this column at Teachers.Net, "Your First Day," the Wongs summarize their most important ideas. They emphasize the point in this article, "There Is Only One First Day of School." Also see "The First Five Minutes Are Critical," an article by Wong. And another article, "How to Start a Class Effectively." The Wongs write a column at Teachers.Net -- search there to find tips on many different classroom management topics.

Here's a review of the book by a middle school teacher, who says "The First Days of School is the best book I have found for new teachers." More recently, the Wongs wrote a column that includes a "script" for the first day of school.

Here's an interesting list from the Wongs' book:
The seven things students want to know on the first day of school:

1.Am I in the right room?
2.Where am I supposed to sit?
3.What will I be doing this year?
4.How will I be graded? (here are some grading resources)
5.What are the rules in this classroom?
6.Will the teacher treat me as a human being?
7.Who is the teacher as a person? (here's an idea)

To go right to the source, visit the Wongs' website. Lots of additional resources.

Icebreakers for the First Days of School -- Each fall Education World offers icebreakers that can help teachers get to know their new students -- and help students get to know one another. On this page, you'll not only find the current icebreakers list, but links to seven previous volumes. Also see EW's collection of class management tips from teacher listservs and bulletin boards, which they've titled: "Teachers, Start Your Engines."
Planning for Your First Day at School -- Another useful article from Education World. Includes a checklist and online resources for a variety of back-to-school planning needs, including welcome letters, bulletin board ideas, and back-to-school activities.
Ten Ideas for Establishing Classroom Rules -- Many teachers involve students in establishing classroom rules, says Education World editor Gary Hopkins in this useful article. "Surprisingly, student-created rules are often much the same as - or even tougher than - rules a teacher might create." He summarizes 10 activities teachers are using to involve students in creating a positive classroom environment. See all of EW's classroom management resources.
101 Things You Can Do the First Three Weeks -- This list, developed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Teaching and Learning Center, comes with a recommendation from one of our favorite teachers. That may seem odd, since the list is directed at college teachers and their 18+-year-old students. But our teacher friend says middle grades teachers can cull many good ideas from the list. See what you think.
Have your students write brief biographies of one another -- Here's a great beginning-of-school activity from the excellent language arts site "Outta Ray's Head." Small groups create a list of six questions that will elicit the maximum amount of information from a person being interviewed. Then they pair off, conduct an interview, and use the information they gather to write a biography (or short story, or newspaper/magazine piece, etc.).
Good books for the first days of school -- Middle school teachers suggest several fun books to read to kids during the first days of school, including "The Teacher from the Black Lagoon," and Dr. Seuss' "Oh, the Places You'll Go." (from Education World)
A Middle School Teacher Gears Up for the School Year -- No matter how much or how little experience a teacher has in the classroom, getting ready for a new school year takes a lot of work, says this article in Education Update ("Get Ready, Get Set," August 2000). Middle school teacher Dorleen Kauffman starts early. "In June, instead of just wrapping up, I'm thinking of the next year based on the needs I had this year," she says. "I'm continually reassessing my teaching strategies and motivational techniques."
"Making Your Classroom a Home Away from Home" -- Savvy tips from a veteran middle grades teacher. It begins with a sign over the door: "Kids Are People Too." (from Classroom Leadership On-Line, August 1999)
Make It Great: Tips for a Successful, Fulfilling School Year -- ASCD editor Karen Rasmussen writes: "As you think about your goals for the next 10 months, consider this advice for a successful school year, which we have compiled from teachers representing a variety of backgrounds and experiences," including a middle school teacher in San Antonio, who has tips for organizing a teacher's busy life.
"Parents Have Homework, Too" -- This back-to-school handout written by a South Carolina middle school teacher was a big hit on the Middle-L listserve and may be something you want to share with parents as school begins.
First-Day Strategies -- These first-day activities of Laura Versaci, an English teacher at Decatur Middle School in Indianapolis, are included in an issue of the on-line magazine Teacher Talk, which also offers teachers an activity that will help them determine their classroom management profile. Also see these tips on first-day and first-week activities at Kim's Korner for Teacher Talk.
Open House -- Some schools have an open house for parents the first week of school. Here's a teacher discussion on the topic.
Take Photos of Your Students -- Several good ideas for starter-uppers, including this one: "I like to take snapshots of my students on the first day of school. With today's disposable cameras, it's even easier; plus you can have them developed directly after school at one of the one-hour photoshops. The next morning I arrive at school a few minutes earlier than usual to post the photos on my door. What a nice surprise for the students when they arrive! I later use these same photos to place on the covers of their Language Arts portfolios." This reminds us of another idea: creating a billboard about yourself - "I was a kid, too!"
Tips for Getting the Year Off to a Great Start at TeachNet.com. Success in dealing with those first days of school depends on planning and organizing now, and a number of Teachnet readers have shared ideas for doing so.
Icebreakers -- A half-dozen ideas from Teacher Talk, an on-line magazine. Here here's another batch of "icebreakers and energizers" from Kim Steele's similarly named Kim's Korner for Teacher Talk site. And here's a fresh article "Beat the Summer Heat: Plan Ice Breakers for Fall" from Teach.Net!
First Day Chat -- At Teach.Net, where you can browse the middle grades chatboards and find lots of new-teacher discussion -- including tips from the veterans. You can also ask your own questions.
Getting Parents Off to the Right Start -- The Parent Institute offers a set of quick-tip brochures, the "Motivating Parents Pack (Middle School)," that includes titles like: "Ways Busy Parents Can Help Children Succeed in Middle School," "How to Work with Your Child's Teacher," and "Teachers' Learning Secrets to Use at Home." Schools that are serious about forming stronger partnerships with parents may find these brochures a worthwhile investment. Ordered in quantity, a set of six brochures would cost about $1.80. Available separately and in Spanish.
Assigning Classroom Chores -- Short on time? Get your kids involved.


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