13
Sep
Posted By Ryan Duques
New Teacher Survival Guide Series Installment Four TutaPoint’s New Teacher Survival Guide series is produced to help teachers new to the classroom navigate their first few months on the job.
A teacher’s first year is often the most challenging. Learning how to manage a classroom, design lesson plans that work for students, cooperate with faculty and administrators, and manage the time to perform all of these tasks and more is difficult for entering teachers. This new teacher guide offers tips for new teachers and strategies for new teachers to help your first year be successful in seven critical areas.
To Advise or Not to Advise: Strategies for New Teachers
New teachers are frequently invited to advise a club or become a junior coach in athletics in their first year. Teachers are right to be wary about this; in many cases the position is open because no other faculty want to fill it! Though this isn’t always the case, it’s a good idea to discreetly ask around. Also consider:
§ Time commitment to the club. How many hours a week does it meet? With sports in particular, it may be a daily club with games on the weekends. For other clubs, be aware of funding expectations – the position may come with hours of grant writing.
§ Student needs. Some groups are largely self directed, like chess clubs. Others become more of a tutoring exercise, like chemistry clubs.
§ School expectations. Some schools expect or require new teachers to advise at least one extracurricular. If this is the case, new teachers might not have a choice. For new teachers who are concerned about easing into a school, it may be possible to defer advising for a semester – always ask.
