How To Survive Your First Year Teaching

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How To Survive Your First Year Teaching

• Melissa Kettner
• Special Topics Project
• CEP 841

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Overwhelming and Not Without Tears.

• This is how too many first-year teachers
  describe their first few days on the job.
  Unfortunately, this feeling can last much longer
  for some teachers, and can even result in some
  searching for a new career.
• (Harris, 2003)

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THE FACTS..

• The teaching occupation suffers from chronic and
  relatively high annual turnover compared with
  many other occupations. (Ingersoll Smith,
  2003)
• The turnover problem, although high for the
  entire teaching occupation, affects beginning
  teachers more than others.
• Teaching loses many of it newly trained early in
  their careers..long before retirement.

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THE STATISTICS

• Beginning teachers were asked why they left
• 19 - reasons such as cutbacks, layoff,
  termination, school closings, etc.
• 39 - left to pursue a better job or another
  career.
• 29 - left due to dissatisfaction with their
  teaching career
• (Ingersoll Smith, 2003)

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LETS TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

• These final two reasons (job dissatisfaction
  and pursuit of another career) account for more
  than 2/3 of beginning teachers leaving their
  jobs.
• What were the reasons for the 29 who left
  due to job dissatisfaction????
• HERE THEY ARE.

• Student discipline problems
• Lack of support from administration
• Poor student motivation
• Lack of teacher influence on classroom decision
  making
• (Ingersoll Smith, 2003)

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This is a Critical Time!!

• Given the fact that fully half of the teachers
  who will be teaching in the year 2005 will be
  hired over the next decade, this is a critical
  time to transform the quality of teacher
  preparation.
• -Linda Darling-Hammond
• The Quiet Revolution Rethinking
  Teacher Development.
• (March 1996).
• Education Leadership, p.6

• SOME MORE FACTS
• Approximately 200,000 new teachers will enter the
  profession each year.
• Up to 50 of new teachers will leave teaching
  within their first seven years of teaching.
• (Wong Wong, 1998)

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What the First Year is Like(www.lbusd.k12.ca.us)
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The Five Phases.

• Anticipation Phase
• Survival Phase
• Disillusionment Phase
• Rejuvenation
• Reflection

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ANTICIPATION PHASE

• The anticipation phase begins during the student
  teaching.
• The closer student teachers get to completing
  their assignment, the more excited and anxious
  they become about their first teaching position.
• This phase usually lasts through the first few
  weeks of school.
• (www.lbusd.k12.ca.us)

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SURVIVAL PHASE

• During the first month, beginning teachers are
  often bombarded with a variety of problems that
  they had not planned on.
• There is little time for new teachers to stop and
  reflect on their experiences.
• New teachers spend up to 70 hours a week on
  schoolwork.
• Become focused and consumed with the day-to-day
  routines of teaching.
• (www.lbusd.k12.ca.us)

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DISILLUSIONMENT PHASE

• After about 6-8 weeks, new teachers are faced
  with several new events (parent conferences,
  evaluations by administrator, etc. )
• New teachers start questioning both their
  commitment and competence, express self-doubt,
  and have lower self esteem.
• (www.lbusd.k12.ca.us)

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REJUVENATION

• Usually occurs in January, soon after returning
  from winter break.
• There is a slow rise in the new teachers
  attitude toward teaching.
• They gain new coping strategies and skills to
  prevent, reduce, or minimize problems.
• (www.lbusd.k12.ca.us)

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REFLECTION

• It is critical that we assist new teachers and
  ease the transition from student teacher to
  full-time professional. (www.lbusd.k12.ca.us)
• We need to know the ways to help new teachers
  during their first years, so they have a more
  positive experience.

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So Who Can Help Change this Problem??

• School and district administrators
• Other teachers within the building
• Counselors
• The new teacher too!

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Suggestions for School Administrators

• Do not pair new teachers in inclusion teams
  (especially not with another new teacher). Give
  them time on their own before asking them to team
  teach.
• Avoid assigning new teachers to the most
  challenging grade level of students.
• Refrain from assigning new teachers to more than
  two course preparations.
• Avoid giving new teachers schedules that require
  them to change rooms throughout the day or
  working primarily from a cart.

• Allow new teachers to keep the same courses for a
  few years, before changing their teaching
  assignment.
• Decrease the number of professional development
  activities hold them accountable only for those
  activities designed to boost classroom
  effectiveness.
• Make certain new teachers and their mentors have
  the same planning period.
• Do not place new teachers on school or department
  committees, and extracurricular activities until
  they have a few years of teaching in.
• (Renard, 2003)

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Take Some Time to Listen

• Even the most confident-appearing new teacher
  needs the affirming arm of confirmation for a job
  well done.
• New teachers appreciate administrators who have
  time to talk to them. Even a few minutes of chat
  can promote rapport that reduces the sense of
  isolation the new teacher might be feeling.
  (Harris, 2003)

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Getting Help from Your Colleagues

• You will find that different teachers in the
  school will have different strengths, so dont be
  afraid to use them as resources. For example,
  there might be one colleague who is a creative
  lesson planner, and one that is an extremely
  caring individual that you could talk to.
  (Rominger, Laughrea, Elkin, 2001)
• Counselors and psychologists are often helpful
  when dealing with difficult children and even
  difficult parents.
• Sometimes second year teachers, the sophomores,
  can provide some of the best advice. They can
  remember the successes and failures from their
  first year the best!

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Words of Advice from a Few Second Year
Teachers(www.education-world.com)

• Take charge
• Keep students busy and engaged
• Get peer support
• Get parental support
• Organize yourself
• Organize your students
• Write and reflect
• Have Fun!!

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The ABCs for First Year Teachers(www.education-w
orld.com)

• Admit your mistakes and learn from them.
• Be firm but flexible.
• Communicate with parents.
• Develop a homework policy and stick to it.
• Empower your students dont just lecture to
  them.
• Find time to attend after-school events.
• Get to know all the teachers in your school and
  make friends with cooks, custodians, aides, and
  secretaries.
• Have the courage to try something else if what
  youre doing isnt working.
• Institute a clear discipline policy and enforce
  it consistently.
• Just listen both to what the kids are saying
  and to what theyre not saying.
• Keep a journal.
• Learn your schools policies and procedures.
• Model desired attitudes and behavior.
• Non carborundum ignorami. (Dont let the
  imbeciles wear you down.)
• Overplan.

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The ABCs for First Year Teachers (Contd)

• Prepare interesting lessons.
• Quit worrying and just do your best.
• Remember that you teach students first, then you
  teach whatever academic discipline you learned.
• Stay alert.
• Take pictures.
• Understand that the learning process involves
  everyone - - teachers, students, colleagues, and
  parents and get everyone involved.
• Volunteer to share projects and ideas, and dont
  be afraid to ask others to share their ideas with
  you.
• Work within your limits.
• Xpect the unexpected - - and plan for it.
• Yell if you need support.
• Zero in on you strengths, not your weaknesses.
• Education World compiled this list with the
  help of numerous teachers who survived their
  first year teaching! (www.education-world.com)

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MENTOR PROGRAMS

• Definition- A mentor is a veteran teacher who has
  been assigned by either the school or the
  district to a first- or second-year teacher. The
  mentor is a resource for the beginning teacher
  and someone to whom that teacher can turn with
  any questions. The mentor helps the new teacher
  for the length of an entire school year.
  (Rominger, Laughrea, Elkin, 2001)

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Mentors Will Provide Details to Help You

• Organize and manage classrooms
• Maintain student discipline
• Pace lessons.
• Plan for instruction
• Use time effectively
• Diagnose student needs.
• Evaluate student progress.
• Motivate students.

• Provide instructional resources and materials.
• Communicate with parents.
• Deal with stress.
• Prepare for and conduct parent conferences.
• Understand the different learning styles of
  students.
• Become familiar with system-wide policies.
• (Curriculum Review, 2003)

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Keys to Success for New Teachers

• Be Reasonable
• Organize your Life
• Reflect

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• BE REASONABLE
• You went into education to help students, but
  need to know you wont save them all.
• Dont expect lots of positive feedback from
  students.students do complain.
• Teach what you are comfortable teaching.
• You cant do it all your first year.
• ORGANIZE YOUR LIFE
• Dont expect to have too much free time outside
  of student teaching or your first-year teaching.
• Find a lesson plan format.
• List changes that you should make before teaching
  it again.
• It is OK if you are only a day or two ahead in
  your lessons.
• REFLECT
• Make short notes about how policies work, how
  units went, and think about how you treat your
  students.
• Take compliments seriously and criticism lightly.
• Talk about your frustrations to others.
• Take time for non-education reflection.
• (www.iloveteaching.com)

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You Must Establish Routines and Procedures!!!

• Establish routines and procedures to handle
  daily classroom business such as
• Use of restrooms
• Distributing and collecting materials
• Setting up and running equipment
• Lining up at the door
• Beginning and ending expectations for attendance,
  seating , dismissal, etc.
• (www.teachermentors.com)

• A smooth-running class is the responsibility of
  the teacher, and it is the result of the
  teachers ability to teach procedures.
• (Wong Wong, 1998)

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Why are Procedures Necessary?

• They allow many different activities to take
  place efficiently during the school day.
• They increase on-task time and greatly reduce
  classroom disruptions.
• They tell a student how things operate in a
  classroom, thus reducing discipline problems.
• Procedures are statements of student expectations
  necessary to participate successfully in
  classroom activities.
• (Wong Wong, 1998)

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CONCLUSION

• New teachers can get a lot of support from
  various colleagues in the school, such as
  principles, counselors, and fellow teachers.
• Mentoring programs are strongly recommended for
  new teachers, as it will help them get many of
  their questions answered.
• New teachers must take the time to create
  routines and procedures to help their classroom
  run smoothly.
• First year teachers must be reasonable, organize
  themselves, and reflect on their teaching.

• The fact that 50 of new teachers will leave the
  profession is disturbing. We must be able to find
  ways to reduce this from happening.
• Teachers move through 5 phases anticipation,
  survival, disillusionment, rejuvenation, and
  reflection. These phases are useful to help us
  understand the feeling new teachers have, which
  will allow us to help them.
• It is very important for administrators to take
  time to listen to new teachers, and follow
  certain steps to make sure their first year is a
  success.

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR FIRST YEAR TEACHERS

• MiddleWebs The First Days of Middle School
• Developed for new middle school teachers,
  this resource is packed full of advice and tips
  for ANY teacher, new or experienced!!
• A Survival Kit for New Teachers
• A new resource, with practical ideas for
  classroom use, makes a great gift for new
  teachers!
• What to Expect Your First Year of Teaching
• This U.S. Dept. of Education on-line book is
  based largely on a series of discussions held
  among winners of the First Class Teacher Award
  sponsored by Sallie Mae.

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CHAT WITH TEACHERS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME
PROBLEMS!!

• Teachers.Net Chatboard
• Provides 24 hour mentoring for teachers, and
  provides peer support which many new teachers
  need. Discuss issues within your classroom with
  other teachers.

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REFERENCES

• Ingersoll, R., Smith, T. (2003). The Wrong
  Solution to the Teacher Shortage. Educational
  Leadership, 60, 30-33.
• Harris, J. (2003). How to Survive the First
  Year of Teaching. Momentum, 34, 48-51.
• Renard, L. (2003). Setting New Teachers Up for
  Failureor Success. Educational Leadership, 60,
  62-64.
• Rominger, L., Laughrea, S., Elkin, N. (2001).
  Your First Year As a High School Teacher.
  Roseville, CA Prima Publishing.
• Tips for Creating an Effective Mentoring Program
  for New Teachers. (2003, April). Curriculum
  Review, 42, 6.
• Wong, H., Wong, R. (1998). The First Days of
  School. Mountain View, CA Harry K. Wong
  Publications.

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Website References

• Advice for First-Year Teachers from the
  Sophomores Who Survived Last Year
• http//www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr152
  .shtml
• Assisting First Year Teachers With Classroom
  Management
• http//teachermentors.com/Mcenter20Site/ClMg
  ntTips.html
• 1st Year Teacher Attitudes Toward Teaching
• http//www.lbusd.k12.ca.us/BTSA/1st_year.htm
• Keys to Success for New Teachers
• http//www.iloveteaching.com/steacher/success/
  new.htm

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Thank You and Good Luck!!

• The End