How to Be Successful in Your First Year of Teaching Middle School Everything You Need to Know That They Don't Teach You in School

By Anne Kocsis

Middle school, the formative years in which students reach puberty and start the massive, life changing alterations that will determine who they are, is one of the hardest times for any new teacher to start their career. Problem students can become harder to deal with and those who are not prepared often don t make it through their first year without a little help. This book has been written to help every teacher who is dreading rather than looking forward to that first day in front of their new classes.

This heavily researched, detailed book will help first-year middle school teachers learn how to deal with supplies, planning, parents, overcrowded classrooms, the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, piles of paperwork, money shortages due to budget cuts, negativity from pubescent students and other staff members, at-risk students, students who are capable but choose not to work, and special needs students. You will learn how to ask principals and administrators for help, how to memorize names quickly, how to create seating charts, how to write lesson plans, how to follow a daily routine, how to help struggling readers, how to gain respect, how to get a mentor, how to develop and implement a grading system, how to discipline students who feel they are more mature than they are, how to create assessments, how to find free things for teachers, and how to build your confidence. The most important thing of all, you will learn how to deal with the rapidly changing emotions and hormones of new teenagers and middle school age students.

In addition, you will read about where to go for support, the reality of spending your own money on classroom supplies, mandated tests, technology solutions, and behavior management skills. We spent countless hours interviewing second year middle school teachers, as well as veteran teachers, and have gathered and presented their advice for how to deal with the first year in teaching at a middle school. With this book in hand, you will not only survive you will feel empowered to go on after your first year and become a powerful motivating force for scores of young people for years to come.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781601387530

Book preview

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Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

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Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, Chicago, IL

How to Be

Successful in Your

First Year of Teaching

Middle School

Everything You Need

to Know That They Don’t

Teach You in School

M.E. Griffith

and

AnnE Kocsis

how to Be successful in Your first Year of

teaching Middle school: Everything You need

to Know that they Don’t teach You in school

Copyright © 2011 by Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

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Kocsis, Anne B., 1965-

How to be successful in your first year of teaching middle school : everything you need to know that they don’t teach you in school / by Anne B. Kocsis and Mary Ellen Griffith.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-336-5 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60138-336-3 (alk. paper)

1. Middle school teaching--United States. 2. First year teachers--United States. I. Griffith, Mary Ellen, 1962- II. Title.

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Dedication

The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth.

— Dan Rather, American journalist (1931 to present) This book is dedicated to all those individuals who have ever taught in a middle school environment. The transition from a child to a young adult is challenging.

Thank you for making a difference. In particular, I would like to thank the teachers in the Cumberland Valley School District who took the time to provide their best tips and advice for future middle school teachers everywhere. Your wisdom, guidance, and support is greatly appreciated. — Anne Kocsis To my eighth-grade daughter Alexis and all the other middle school students in my life. No one has taught me better than you. — M.E. Griffith

Table of Contents

Foreword

15

Introduction

17

Using This Book ..................................................................................... 18

Chapter 1:

Joining the World of Middle School Educators

21

The Traditional Route ............................................................................ 22

The benefits of NCATE accreditation ............................................... 23

Professional Development Schools (PDS) ............................................... 24

Part-time Traditional Route .................................................................... 25

Internet Degree Option .......................................................................... 25

Fast-track Programs ................................................................................ 26

Continuing Education ............................................................................ 27

Guest Teacher Program .......................................................................... 27

Temporary Certification ......................................................................... 28

Middle School Critical Shortage ............................................................. 29

6

how to Be successful in Your first Year of teaching Middle school Certification and Licensure ..................................................................... 30

Before You Can Teach ............................................................................. 32

Acquiring Teaching Experience ............................................................... 33

Student teaching .............................................................................. 33

Case Study: Preparing for Student Teaching ............................................ 36

Substitute teaching ........................................................................... 38

Case Study: Calling All Substitutes ......................................................... 39

Case Study: Gaining Experience in Support Staff Positions ..................... 42

Chapter 2: Choosing the Right Work Environment 45

Area of the Country ................................................................................ 46

Size of School ......................................................................................... 46

Type of School ........................................................................................ 46

Area of the country and how it affects education .............................. 47

The issue of size ................................................................................ 52

Different types of schools offer different environments ..................... 55

Case Study: Charter Schools — a Great Option for Students and Teachers ........................................................................................... 59

Chapter 3: Seeking Employment as an Educator 69

Introducing Yourself .............................................................................. 69

Writing Your Résumé .............................................................................. 72

Do Not Forget the Cover Letter .............................................................. 75

Your Application ..................................................................................... 76

Case Study: Getting the Job .................................................................... 77

The Interview Process ............................................................................. 80

Case Study: Interviewing to Become a Teacher ....................................... 85

table of contents

7

Background Checks ............................................................................... 87

Chapter 4: Making a Living as an Educator

89

Pay Scales ............................................................................................... 90

Pay schedules .................................................................................... 92

Additional incentives ....................................................................... 92

Other factors that affect pay ............................................................. 94

General opinion ............................................................................... 95

What You Need to Know About Unions ................................................. 95

What exactly are teachers’ unions? .................................................... 95

Paid Versus Non-Paid School-related Endeavors .................................... 97

Case Study: What You Need to Know About School District Hierarchies ............................................................................................. 98

School District Departments ................................................................ 101

Payroll ........................................................................................... 101

Human resources .......................................................................... 102

Curriculum and development ........................................................ 102

Certification ................................................................................... 102

School Board and Mission Statement .................................................... 103

Chapter 5:

Teaching Relationships and Your Go-To Crew

105

Principal’s Principles and Expectations .................................................. 106

Know your administrators .............................................................. 106

Assistant principals ......................................................................... 107

Department Chairs ............................................................................... 108

Specialists ............................................................................................ 109

Case Study: The Importance of Learning Support ................................. 111

8

how to Be successful in Your first Year of teaching Middle school Guidance .............................................................................................. 112

Case Study: The Benefits of the Team-teaching Approach ..................... 114

Media Specialist .................................................................................... 116

Information Technology Advisor .......................................................... 117

Support Staff ......................................................................................... 118

Front-office staff ............................................................................. 119

Bookkeeper .................................................................................... 119

Data entry/attendance clerk ........................................................... 120

Custodians ..................................................................................... 120

School nurse ................................................................................... 121

Bus drivers ..................................................................................... 123

Chapter 6:

Creating a Classroom Conducive to Learning

125

Getting Around .................................................................................... 126

Classroom Supplies ............................................................................... 126

Student Supplies and Cost-Efficient Lending ........................................ 130

Pencils and paper ............................................................................ 130

Organizing Your Classroom .................................................................. 131

Your Desk: Classroom Hub .................................................................. 133

Thoughts on Student Seating ................................................................ 135

Technology .......................................................................................... 137

Those Four Walls .................................................................................. 138

Veteran teacher treasures ................................................................ 139

Word walls ..................................................................................... 140

Students’ handiwork ....................................................................... 140

Teacher stores ................................................................................. 140

White boards ................................................................................. 141

Posting classroom rules ................................................................... 141

table of contents

9

Think outside the box .................................................................... 142

Budget Cuts Require Teachers to Get Creative ...................................... 142

Storage .................................................................................................. 145

Chapter 7: Handling Paperwork

147

Binders ................................................................................................. 148

Filing .................................................................................................... 149

Student-Oriented Paperwork .......................................................... 150

Student records .............................................................................. 150

Attendance ..................................................................................... 150

Student and parent contact information ......................................... 151

Behavioral intervention .................................................................. 151

Individualized lesson plans ............................................................. 152

Teacher-centric Paperwork .................................................................... 152

Class syllabus and assignment calendar ........................................... 152

Lesson plans ................................................................................... 153

Professional employment files ......................................................... 153

Chapter 8:

Getting Through the First Day of School

155

First Day Plans ..................................................................................... 159

Your first-day survival kit ................................................................ 160

First Impressions ................................................................................... 161

Time for introductions ................................................................... 164

Icebreakers ..................................................................................... 164

Other time-fillers ............................................................................ 165

Tricks to memorize names .............................................................. 166

Case Study: Getting to Know Your Students ......................................... 168

Introducing Your Behavioral Expectations ............................................ 170

10

how to Be successful in Your first Year of teaching Middle school First-Day Paperwork ............................................................................. 172

Your Syllabus ........................................................................................ 172

Seating Charts ..................................................................................... 174

Chapter 9:

The Core of Teaching — Lesson Plans

177

Interdisciplinary Units .......................................................................... 177

Engaging Units .................................................................................... 179

Choosing a Format ............................................................................... 180

Case Study: The Importance of Appropriate Lesson Planning ............... 182

Elements of a Lesson Plan ..................................................................... 183

Know the requirements .................................................................. 186

State standards and benchmarks ..................................................... 187

Steps to Creating your Lesson Plans ...................................................... 188

Important items to consider ........................................................... 190

Putting it into practice ................................................................... 192

Using Technology in Your Lessons ....................................................... 193

SMART Boards .............................................................................. 195

Common Planning Errors by New or Inexperienced Teachers ............... 196

Chapter 10: Making the Grade

199

Learning Styles...................................................................................... 201

Case Study: Using Gardener’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences ............. 206

Assessments .......................................................................................... 208

All About Rubrics ................................................................................. 210

How You Are Graded as a Teacher ........................................................ 213

Basic Edicts of Good Teaching ............................................................. 214

table of contents

11

Expect excellence ............................................................................ 215

Case Study: Middle School Students are Smart Cookies! ....................... 216

Insist students earn their grades ..................................................... 217

Grading .......................................................................................... 217

Real-life lessons .............................................................................. 218

Curriculum Maps and Pacing Guides ................................................... 218

State Standards and Benchmarks ........................................................... 219

Creative Planning ................................................................................. 222

Technological grading .................................................................... 224

Chapter 11: Classroom Management 101

— Rules and Discipline

227

Single-school Culture ............................................................................ 230

Structuring Behavioral Expectations for the Classroom ......................... 230

Suggestions for basic classroom management ................................ 231

Prevention and Intervention ................................................................. 232

Case Study: Are You Meant to Teach Middle School? ........................... 235

Encountering students with non-academic problems ...................... 238

Bullying ........................................................................................ 242

The Challenge of Supervising Tweens and Technology .......................... 253

Cell phone policies ......................................................................... 254

Computers ..................................................................................... 254

Photo use ...................................................................................... 256

Case Study: Adjusting to Middle School ............................................... 257

Students with Special Needs ................................................................. 258

Individualized education plans ....................................................... 258

Case Study: How Teachers Can Help Students with Chronic Health Problems ................................................................................... 260

12

how to Be successful in Your first Year of teaching Middle school Forms of Communication and the Pros and Cons of Each .................... 262

Notes ............................................................................................. 263

E-mail ............................................................................................ 263

Phone calls ..................................................................................... 264

Face-to-face meetings ..................................................................... 266

Tips for Dealing with Difficult Parents ................................................. 266

Chapter 13: Handling the Unexpected

269

The Cold Hard Facts ............................................................................. 270

Discrepancies to Embrace Now ............................................................. 271

The way it is portrayed versus the way it really is ............................ 271

Prepare for the following ................................................................ 273

Compensating for crowds ............................................................... 274

Roaming Without a Designated Classroom .......................................... 279

Other Duties Upon Request ................................................................. 281

School-day tasks ............................................................................. 282

Afterschool requirements ................................................................ 283

Extracurricular activities ................................................................. 284

Meetings ........................................................................................ 285

Professional Development ..................................................................... 287

Chapter 14: Politics and Education

289

What You Need to Understand ............................................................. 289

Understanding mandates ................................................................ 290

Deciphering the principal’s data ..................................................... 290

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) ...................................................... 290

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ....................... 293

Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPA) ........................................ 294

National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) ............................... 295

table of contents

13

Budget Cuts in Education ..................................................................... 296

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ............................... 297

Conclusion

299

Take Care of Yourself ............................................................................ 300

Never Forget Your Purpose and Passion ................................................ 302

Case Study: What Teaching Means to Me ............................................. 303

Appendices

307

Appendix A: Sample Curriculum Vitae and Cover Letter ...................... 307

Appendix B: Forms ............................................................................... 312

Returned Forms Checklist .............................................................. 312

Locker Report Form ....................................................................... 313

Appendix C: Sample Syllabus ............................................................... 314

Appendix D: Seating Chart ................................................................... 318

Appendix E: Sample Rubric Form ........................................................ 319

Appendix F: Lesson Plans ..................................................................... 320

Bibliography

325

About the Authors

331

Index

333

Foreword

When I tell people what I do, they look at me as if I am nuts. It seems inconceivable to many people that I would voluntarily spend hours each day with 20 middle schoolers. After all, they are not cute anymore like elementary students, yet they are not as mature as high school students. And perhaps I am a bit crazy. Still, I would not trade my job for anything in the world.

I decided to teach middle school when I was in seventh grade, but I began my teaching career long before then. When I was five, I taught my 14-month-old sister to say No, and shortly thereafter, I taught her to say Get up, Mommy!

Neither lesson was endorsed by my mother. Later, I taught my four-year-old brother lengthy names of dinosaurs using one of a teacher’s more important tools

— enthusiasm — and I taught my sister how to count to ten in German as I accompanied her selling Girl Scout cookies door-to-door. However, I did not settle on education as a career until my seventh grade classmates kept coming to me for explanations and I realized I liked explaining things to them.

My path to my first year of teaching was fairly straightforward after that. In high school, I joined Future Teachers of America (FTA) and participated in opportunities to teach during Student-Teacher Switch Day. I also began teaching Sunday school halfway though high school, a job that gave me invaluable experience in lesson planning and controlling a classroom. Toward the end of high school and throughout college, I worked in the summers as a counselor for seventh and eighth grade boys at a summer camp, acquiring invaluable insight into the mind of the middle schooler. In college, I decided to double-major in history and education; in my sophomore year, I made up my mind to continue

16

how to Be successful in Your first Year of teaching Middle school on for a master’s degree in teaching. This meant that I stopped taking education courses so I would have enough for my fifth year, and thus, I began taking English and science courses. By the end of my graduate work, I had taken the requisite courses and Praxis II exams to be certified to teach middle school social studies, English, science, and math. I opted to have breadth in a certain age group rather than depth in a certain subject because I wanted to maximize my chances to be hired as a middle school teacher. Finally, after months of searching, I achieved my goal of becoming a middle school teacher.

I remember my first year of teaching middle school as if it were last year, which in fact it was. The first few weeks were extremely overwhelming. As helpful as the administration and various teachers in my school were, I wish that I had a book that walked me through the various pieces of the first year. Many things were new to me. Which supplies should I have on hand before school started? How do I organize the flood of papers from different sources? How do I make a good impression on the first day? And how do I deal with classroom management?

How to Be Successful in Your First Year of Teaching Middle School: Everything That You Need to Know That They Don’t Teach You in School is exactly the manual that I would have loved to have a year ago. It covers the entire process of becoming a teacher, from routes to teaching, to résumés and interviews, and then guides you through your first year of teaching. There are tips on a plethora of subjects, from the aforementioned questions that I had to the pros and cons of joining a union.

Not only will first-year teachers benefit from this book but veterans will as well.

One of the hallmarks of a good teacher is constantly seeking to improve one’s practice, and this book will certainly further teachers in that goal.

As a teacher, there are several sayings that have been helpful to me. One is, You are never fully dressed without a smile. Another is, No one hits a homerun every time they are up to bat. The good players are the ones who keep trying. And then, there is a quotation from the comedian Sam Levenson, You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself. May the accumulated wisdom in this book help turn you into the best middle school teacher that you can be!

David Schwartz

Middle school social studies teacher

Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School

Chicago, Illinois

Introduction

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.

— Carl Jung (Swiss founder of analytical psychiatry, 1875 to 1961) Middle school serves as a transition between elementary school and high school.

In most cases, it includes grades six through eight. On average, the students are between the ages of 11 to 14, a time typically associated with raging hormones and puberty. This transition period between childhood and burgeoning adulthood creates added complications when teaching children of these ages.

These students come in all shapes and sizes but share some very distinct characteristics. Middle school students face numerous physical and emotional changes as they move from childhood dependence into a more independent young adult stage of life. As adolescents develop, their experiences and perceptions can become colored by their emotions. The following is a list of common middle school student traits frequently recognized by veteran middle school teachers across the country:

• They are plagued with self-doubt.

• They are rarely satisfied with their appearance.

18

how to Be successful in Your first Year of teaching Middle school

• They face confusing changes to their bodies, such as changing voices, developing curves, growing hair on their bodies, and the onset of acne.

• They have insatiable appetites.

• They have frequent, often inexplicable mood swings.

• They laugh loudly and frequently.

• They are reduced to tears very easily.

• They tend to view events in terms of extremes.

• They exhibit strong opinions about the social issues that are important to them.

• They vacillate between wanting to be silly and carefree children and wanting to be taken seriously as young adults.

• They believe that life is not fair and that adults do not understand.

• They have a sudden need for privacy.

• They are embarrassed by their parents and other family members.

• They care deeply for their friends, yet habitually gossip behind their friends’ backs.

• They require multiple opinions from others before making a decision.

• They spend hours using social networking technology on the computer and their cell phones.

• They have fleeting attention spans.

• They want to be taken seriously and given the chance to be independent.

USInG THIS Book

Educating students during their most impressionable age encompasses much more than a few textbooks, cute bulletin boards, and some dry-erase markers.

Successfully constructing an effective — yet comfortable — learning environment amid today’s state standards, inclusion classes, and federal mandates is truly a notable accomplishment. Fortunately, we also teach in a digital age, which simplifies many tasks our predecessors found grueling.

introduction

19

Read this book and then keep it close as a reference throughout your first year.

The field of education is fast-paced and busy. This book will assist you by bridging the gap between what you learned in school and what you will be expected to face each day as a middle school teacher. It will help you:

• Facilitate lasting, positive relationships with administrators, fellow faculty, and district and support staff.

• Create a well-organized, well-behaved, comfortable, safe zone classroom while adhering to district, state, and school expectations.

• Analyze pacing and curriculum guidelines and implement your state’s standards into the units you will use in your classroom year after year.

• Define and provide ideas and offer samples and templates for academic teams, interdisciplinary units, and departmental planning.

• Employ strategies for creating a technologically savvy classroom that keeps students engaged with your lessons — instead of their MP3 players, gaming consoles, and multifunction cell phones.

• Facilitate the creation of positive partnerships with parents and show you how to turn even the most difficult parent into your most valuable ally.

• Understand the rationale behind federal programs such as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and various special education laws.

• Ensure your students meet yearly progress goals as dictated by mandated testing while maintaining an effective, fun, and creative learning environment.

• Use numerous resources such as websites that offer free teacher instructional ideas, podcasts, and templates for lesson plans.

In the pages that follow, you will find information on the various routes to becoming a teacher, from a four-year education degree to the mid-career guest teacher path, and everything in between. It includes advice on student teaching,

20

how to Be successful in Your first Year of teaching Middle school substitute teaching, writing your résumé, and preparing for the job interview.

Additionally, information is provided to help you determine where you want to seek employment.

Once you have a job, there will be a host of other challenges to face. Teaching is a very rewarding profession, but it can also be very stressful, especially for a new teacher. Teaching middle school is particularly overwhelming. In addition to the pressures of a new job, new middle school teachers need to work with students going through puberty, as well as all the ensuing hormones surrounding that time period. Included are many comments from middle school students to help you understand their perception of their teachers, school, and education.

Many experienced teachers were interviewed to fill this book with the answers to the most commonly asked questions, along with tips and suggestions on handling a wide array of challenges facing middle school teachers today. Hopefully, this is just the first step in a long, successful, and very rewarding career.

CHAPTER 1:

Joining the World of

Middle School Educators

According to a June 2009 U.S. Census Bureau press release, 2.9 million teachers are employed in elementary and middle schools in the United States. That might seem like a huge number, but good middle school teachers are always needed.

In 1794, a group in New York City known as the Society of Associated Teachers established the first recognized teacher requirements. City officials organized the association to create uniform teacher qualifications in the city. Eleven years later, a group called the Free School Society was the first to secure public funds to pay for teacher courses. It was not until 1885, however, that a college preparatory course was developed at Brown University. Now, more than a century later, all teachers must undergo some form of training in order to become certified and licensed to teach. There are many different ways to receive the necessary training, but ultimately, all full-time secondary teachers in the United States are expected to have the following:

• Bachelor’s degree

• Student teaching experience

• Teacher certification

• Teacher’s license

These are the basic requirements, but there are exceptions. For example, if you are seeking employment in a private school, you still need a bachelor’s degree, but you do not need a license. Public schools have