Welcome back to school - resources for every teacher

Welcome back to school! I hope everyone had a great summer and was able to relax and recharge. Most schools around here start next week, with new teachers starting this week.

The beginning of the year is always a little crazy for all teachers. Getting your room setup, implementing new ideas into your lesson plans, getting to know your students, and just settling back in to the routine can be busy and stressful. Remember to not over do it and take time for yourself.

One thing I've done in the past that helped me is using a check list of everything I have to do when school starts, including setting up my room (computer, bulletin boards, etc), things I want to post in my room, lesson ideas and more in Evernote. I modify it each year, adding new things for the following year.

Here are some more tips, resources, and help to get your school year started on a positive note, and keep it that way.

Advice to New College Graduates about to enter the Teaching profession

Summary of new teacher tips, urban schools issues, technology resources


Google for Educators - Google has a huge number of free resources for teachers and students. Check them all out (they're all free).

Microsoft Education Resources - resources for admin, IT and teachers

Evernote for Education Resources - the ultimate note taking, web clipping, lesson planning resource

Create a Personal Learning Network - a PLN is an excellent resource for help, advice, and sharing ideas.

Overview of some free technology that can help you be more organized and efficient.




Related:

List of What Makes a Good Teacher - created by students

Great resources for New Teachers - advice, support, and training

Advice to New College Graduates about to enter the Teaching profession

Making School Relevant for Students

10 Important Skills Students need for the Future

10 Tech Skills Every Student Should Have

Getting Students and Teachers Organized - tips and resources


Good luck and I hope everyone has a great school year!!





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Great resources for New Teachers - advice, support, and training

It's always a good time to share advice, tips, and resources to help new teachers. Plus, these are all good resources for veteran teachers too!

Here is a collection of resources for New Teachers:

New Teacher Advice and Tips - advice, tips, how to get help, new teacher support web sites, books to read, conferences to attend, sites/journals to subscribe to, and much more.

New Teacher Orientation resources - what new teacher orientation should be

New Teacher Survival Central - great, free resource from Discovery Education for new teachers.

Helping Teachers Get Started with Educational Technology

ntcamp - New Teacher Camp conferences

131 Tips for New Teachers - great presentation of compiled tips, ideas, and resources for new teachers.

TeachOne - collection of great educational resources, including new teacher

My Favorite Resources for Teachers and Students

New Teacher Survival Guide from Scholastic

    

What are your favorite resources for new teachers?

New Teacher Orientation ideas and questions

NEW TEACHER ORIENTATION

I'm working on my Master's Degree in Educational Leadership (I already have one in Educational Technology) and my current course is "Developing Teachers." In this course we are looking at recruiting, training, and retaining teachers and this week we are looking at new teacher orientation programs.


When I started, the new teacher orientation program was three days before the rest of the teachers came in. We had talks from each department, received the curriculum for our class, and had some various presentations on different topics. The current new teacher orientation program is similar, but also has the new teachers meeting together once a month throughout the year for more training and support.


Some of the things that I felt were lacking and some of the new teachers from last year also thought were missing:


1. Orientation to computer systems - making sure every teacher has a login for the computers, email, and student information system and then having training on how to use them all. It is very minimal right now.


2. More information about special education services and how the process works.


3. A list of "people to go to" for different issues, such as computer problems, supply needs, and so forth.


4. List of services available to students - special education, social work, health and medical, etc.


5. More on classroom management that specifically addresses the policies of the district rather than being general.


6. Instead of just handing out the curriculum, provide time to look over the curriculum and then have someone from that department to help you with any issues, especially with the material for the first month of school.


7. They currently get an afternoon to go to their building and start setting up their rooms, but it would be nice to have time with the department chair, to look over your classroom, get a tour of the building and get shown where resources and offices are. Currently, it is up to each school to try to fit in a tour when time permits and I think it should be a formal part of the orientation program.


8. A new teacher orientation booklet with all resources, expectations, schedule, rules and procedures. Some of this is handed out now, but it is not combined into a comprehensive book. It probably wouldn't hurt to have this available for all teachers, especially when there have been changes made to policies and procedures from the previous year.


9. The realities of the school system - budget issues, student behavior, buildings, etc. It can be a shock to many new teachers coming out of college with their idealistic views to suddenly run head on into the reality of run down schools, no supplies or resources, student discipline issues, lack of parental support, and other realities of teaching. 




What does your district's new teacher orientation program look like? What do you think should be in a new teacher orientation program?








Related Articles:

New Teacher Advice and Tips - repost

Back to School resources for all educators

Welcome back to School!

New Teacher Survival Central