Rookie Teaching For Dummies E-Book

W. Michael Kelley

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 722

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Beschreibung

Navigate politics, paperwork, and legal issues Find your instructional style and make learning fun for your students! Gain the upper hand on your first day of school! This friendly guide reveals what they didn't teach you in your education classes, offering practical advice and tons of real-life examples to help you set up and maintain an orderly classroom, engage your students, establish a grading system, and develop positive relationships with parents and school administrators. The Dummies Way * Explanations in plain English * "Get in, get out" information * Icons and other navigational aids * Tear-out cheat sheet * Top ten lists * A dash of humor and fun

Leseprobe

Rookie Teaching For Dummies®

by W. Michael Kelley

Rookie Teaching For Dummies®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2003 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Library of Congress Control Number: 2003101871

ISBN: 978-0-7645-2479-0

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8

1B/TQ/QY/QY/IN

About the Author

W. Michael Kelley taught high-school mathematics for seven years and loved every minute of it. Along the way, he managed to scrape up a few awards, including recognition from the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics as an Outstanding High School Mathematics Teacher. Even more important to him, however, was that his students voted him their favorite teacher a whole bunch of times.

He now works at the University of Maryland at College Park as an Academic Technology Coordinator for the College of Education and writes books in his spare time, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Calculus and Master the AP Calculus AB and BC Tests. Even though he’s not officially a teacher anymore, he does maintain a Web site, www.calculus-help.com, which provides free help for thousands of bewildered calculus students every year.

Mike lives in southern Maryland with his wife, Lisa, his new son, Nicholas, and his cat, Peanut. Although he still hopes to one day rule Spain as a kind and just dictator, he’s beginning to think that just may not happen.

Dedication

For my new son, Nicholas. As I write this, you are still but a big bulge in your mom’s belly, but we’re expecting you any day now, and I can’t wait to meet you. I have waited all my life for your arrival, and any day, I will get to see you face to face. I pray that I will be a good dad, and that you’ll be a much better baby for me than I was for my parents.

As always, for Lisa. You’ve brought joy to my life, order to my house, and a son into my heart. You are the girl of my dreams, and I love you more every day. Thanks for all your help, advice, and proofreading skills, and for making this book better than it ever could have been without you.

Author’s Acknowledgments

This book would not exist if it weren’t for all the people who allowed me to spend time with them and ask them all sorts of embarrassing questions. I did my best to credit people where it was appropriate and to omit people’s names if they were too embarrassed to have them attached to the fantastic stories they told me. In some cases, things got lost to editing and space restraints, and for that I apologize, but to these people I still offer my greatest thanks.

Some of the people who helped me the most, and who were generous enough to share their experience, advice, ideas, and time, include the following: Katie Booth, Chris Borkowski, Gloria Brown, Summer Cox, Terumi Cox, Malinda Ellerman, Fran Favretto (and her EDHD419B class), Sharon Feather, Mary Freeland, Brock Fulton, Christy Gallihugh, Rob Halstead, Susan Hammond, Jackie Herath, Debbie Horstkamp, Katherine Hudson, Jackie Johnson, Stacy Karcesky, Vicky Karol (and her class of Calvert County rookie teachers), Beth Kawecki, Maureen Lawson, Marie Limburg, Tim McHugh, Kevin Michael, George Miller, Lindsay Miller, Glen Moulton, Sue O’Connell, Becky Reyno, Walter Sampson, Julie Schenk, Lori Stevenson, Eric Stroh, and Will Van Nort.

To the best friends a rookie teacher could ever have, Rob Halstead and Lori Daugherty. You guys were my support system when I needed it most, and I could never thank you enough. Lori, if it hadn’t been for our shared planning period, I wouldn’t have made it through the school year. Rob, you’re a great friend, but you already know that. Who else could endure me but a pal with reserves of patience as vast as yours?

To the kids who touched my life. You guys were the reason I taught, and you always made it worth my while. Because of you, I never regretted a day I spent in the classroom.

To all the experienced teachers at Northern High School who guided me when I was new, especially the folks in my department whom I considered mentors as well as good friends. Special thanks to Heather Bogstead, Lloyd Donaldson, Beth Guerra, Jim Hall, Bill Halstead, Mark Hammersla, Mike Johnson, Duke Jones, Karen Neal, Kathleen Parlett, Debbie Pulley, Bob Riccardo, Jill Rodriguez, Candy Spain, Sherry Spickes, Tommy Tucker, Kitty Vogel, Rick Weber, and Debbie Wilson.

To all my public-school teachers, especially Daniel Brown, Ron Gibson, Jack Keosseian, Sherry Momberger, and Regina Supanick.

To my family, without whom I’d be a raving lunatic — Lisa, I can’t imagine living with me, and I don’t know how you do it; Dave, a great brother and the reluctant King of Drywall; Mom, the nicest lady I know, and the world’s greatest purveyor of baby clothes; Dad, the first guy who taught me how to be funny, and who is always very proud.

To my friends Matt Halnon, Chris Sarampote, and Donna Marschall, who laugh at my jokes, even when we all know they’re not funny.

Finally, to all the folks at Wiley who made this book a reality. I have always dreamed of writing this book, and had it not been for the support of Roxane Cerda, it wouldn’t have happened. She pitched it to the folks in charge and convinced them I was the guy for the job; for that I am forever grateful. Thanks also to Pam Mourouzis, Norm Crampton, and Elizabeth Kuball (who loved the Winnie Story), three of the most supportive and accommodating people in the publishing world. If I had to describe myself as an author in one word, it would be needy, and these guys never minded at all (or at least didn’t act like they minded).

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

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Contents

Title

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

Foolish Assumptions

What You Won’t Find in This Book

How This Book Is Organized

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I : What They Didn’t Teach You in College

Chapter 1: What Have You Gotten Yourself Into?

Real World versus School World

Bearing the Instructor’s Burden

You’re the Adult Now!

Facing the Daily Grind

Chapter 2: Dealing with Society’s Nutty Notions about Teaching

“Those Who Can, Do; Those Who Can’t, Teach”

Establishing Your Competence

Looking Inside Those “Educational Studies”

Forgetting Those Education Classes

Chapter 3: How Things Have Changed in the Classroom

Changes for the Better

Changes for the Worse

What’s With These Kids Today?

Part II : Managing Your Classroom

Chapter 4: Finding Your Way Around

Topping Your To-Do List: Read the Rule Book

Establishing Your Rules

Getting Your Bearings

Mapping Out Important Locations

Chapter 5: Setting Up Your Classroom

Building Blue-Ribbon Bulletin Boards

Choosing a Seating Arrangement

Establishing an Inviting Classroom

Staying Afloat If You’re a Floater

Chapter 6: The First Day of School

Making That Important First Impression

Don’t Smile until December?

Identifying Important First-Day Tasks

Dressing Appropriately

Chapter 7: Keeping Your Kids Under Control

Understanding What the Front Office Expects from You

Motivating Students

Facing Bad Behavior Head On

Recognizing Ineffective Models of Confrontation

Getting Discipline Right

Chapter 8: Picking Your Fights

Making the Punishment Fit the Crime

Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie

Taking Things Personally

Passing the Problem (Child) to the Principal: When and How

Chapter 9: Avoiding Sexual Harassment

Uncovering Sexual Harassment Shockers

Avoiding the Appearance of Evil

Part III : Delivering Instruction

Chapter 10: Finding Your Style

Creating Lesson Plans

Honing Your Performance

Delivering Multicultural Instruction

Chapter 11: Making Learning Fun

Teaching with Class Games

Adding the Little Things

Chapter 12: Managing Assessment

Establishing a Grading System

Mastering the Tricks of the Trade

Part IV : Meet the Supporting Cast

Chapter 13: Getting to Know Your Administrators

A Field Guide to Administrators

Dealing with Dueling Bosses

Overcoming Observations

Chapter 14: Getting to Know Your Co-Workers

A Field Guide to Co-Workers

Paying Your Dues

Understanding Staff Members

Facing the Facts If You’re Floating

Chapter 15: Getting to Know Parents

A Field Guide to Parents

Phoning Home

Surviving Parent Conferences

Chapter 16: Getting to Know Students

Teaching Different Academic Levels

A Field Guide to Students

Figuring Out What Kids Want

Part V : Duties Other than Teaching

Chapter 17: Implicit and Explicit Duties

Doing Your Duty

The Joys of Sponsorship

Life after School

Developing Professionally

Chapter 18: Navigating the Sea of Paperwork

Hiking the Daily Paper Trail

Record-Keeping Responsibly

Scripting Scintillating Substitute Plans

Chapter 19: Health and First-Aid Issues

Classifying Childhood Conditions

Identifying Important Health Concerns

Handling Injuries and Emergencies

Part VI : The Part of Tens

Chapter 20: Ten Things That Always Happen to Rookie Teachers

You’ll Have Problems Pacing Yourself

A Harmless Comment You Make Will Be Misinterpreted

Chalk Dust Will Cause You to Despair

You Will Fall Prey to Gravity

An Administrator Will Infuriate You

You’ll Find Out What the Kids Really Think of You

A Parent Will Complain about You

Something Completely Unexpected Will Happen

You’ll Receive Unexpected Praise

A Student Will Greet You in Public

Chapter 21: The Ten Biggest Rookie Blunders

Becoming Too Friendly Too Early

Teaching for the Wrong Reasons

Coming to School Unprepared

Refusing to Back Down When You’re Wrong

Reacting before You Stop to Think

Neglecting to Look in the Mirror

Disassociating from Your Colleagues

Acting Like Your Kids

Not Practicing What You Preach

Forgetting That Kids Are Just Kids

Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Use Technology in Your Classroom

Figure Out the Basics of Web Design

Post Information for Students and Parents

Display Pictures of Class Activities

Teach Using WebQuests

Give Online Assignments

Create an Archive of Content

Collect Links Related to Class Topics

Liven Up Lectures with PowerPoint

Unleash Creativity with Kid Pix

When All Else Fails, Project!

Chapter 23: Ten Great World Wide Web Resources for Rookie Teachers

Discovering Discovery-Channel Style

PBS: Meeting Your Standards

Calling the Rookie Teacher Emergency Hotline

Chatting with Other Rookies

Creating a Pain-Free (And Cost-Free) Web Site

Creating a Web Site, The Sequel

Snagging a Plagiarist

Breaking the Ice

Getting the Advice You Need

Perusing a Smorgasbord of Teacher Stuff

Introduction

It took me a long time to learn how to drive a car with a manual transmission. When I was 15, I was a pretty good driver (at least compared to other 15-year-olds). I drove my mother around on weekends while she ran errands and, after a few months of this, she was even able to breathe in the car when I was behind the wheel. After all, I had taken months and months of driver-education classes and learned about all sorts of things, like why you should push on the brake pedal before you get to the stop sign and what a blind spot is. Driving was a whole lot like the books said it was going to be, so when I finally climbed behind the wheel, I felt prepared.

Figuring out how to operate a stick shift was an entirely different story. The car instruction manuals made the process seem very easy. “To begin driving, fully depress the clutch and put the car into first gear, then ease up on the clutch and, as you do so, slowly depress the gas pedal.” How hard could that be? It’s only one sentence! Well, I found out exactly how hard it was to execute that one sentence as I tried to pull out of my driveway the first time in a car with a manual transmission.

The car lurched and jumped like a bucking bronco trying to throw me from the saddle. I think I could actually feel my brain slamming against the inside of my skull. “This is impossible!” I thought, as I fought to gain control of the car, to no avail. After numerous attempts, I was making no headway at all, so I decided to enlist the help of a family friend, who was able to master the mystical art of the five-speed engine.

My lesson lasted for about 15 minutes, and I could tell it was truly over when my friend ran from the car screaming in terror. How could it be that something people do every day, with no trouble at all, could be so hard to figure out?

Beginning a teaching career is like learning how to drive a manual transmission. In fact, it’s like learning to drive about 50 stick shifts all at once!

About This Book

Just like learning to drive a stick shift, the best way to learn is by doing. However, that’s definitely not the fastest way. Older teachers always told me, “Don’t worry, these little things work themselves out in time, and you’ll turn out to be a fine teacher.”

“That’s great,” I thought, “but what am I supposed to do in the meantime?”

What every rookie teacher needs is an experienced teacher to sit down with him and provide practical advice. However, the more advice you get, the more advice you realize you need. Like most rookies, I discovered how to succeed as a teacher the hard way. Over my years of teaching, I figured out a lot of stuff on my own, but I also picked up lots of tips and tricks from my colleagues. I often found myself saying, “If only I’d known that when I was new — it would have saved me so much trouble!”

And that’s exactly why I wrote this book. I wanted to take all that advice and experience and distill it into one volume, so that you can start driving in no time at all. I wanted this book to be more than just my experiences, though, so I decided to broaden its scope. To do so, I talked to numerous people, including the following:

Prospective teaching candidates, to find out what they were the most nervous about

Student teachers, to find out what skills they felt they needed the most help with

Rookie teachers, who shared stories both inspirational and tragic, so that others could benefit from their example

Experienced teachers, who are battle-worn and can solve in a snap most problems that seem insurmountable to rookies.

Principals, who told me what they look for in a rookie teacher and what expectations they have

District administrators, who told me how they evaluate rookies

School nurses, who provided a heads-up about what sorts of medical conditions rookies should be familiar with

Former students, to find out what it is about a teacher that earns their respect, and what they don’t like at all

The result is a set of tried-and-true methods that make a good teacher into a great teacher. Some of the information in this book you’ll already have figured out, but a great deal of it may surprise you!

Unfortunately, some teacher-preparation programs try to shield their students from the often harsh reality of being a teacher. I don’t think they do it to be mean or to handicap their students — it’s just that education classes are often warm, supportive environments, but classrooms rarely are, at least at first.

Many new teachers quit every year because, even with years of education courses under their belts, they had no idea what teaching was really going to be like — and I think that’s a crime. In my opinion, the best way to be prepared is to know what to expect ahead of time, so that you know how to respond. So, in addition to giving you the tried-and-true advice of the pros I list earlier, I’ve made it my job to try to warn you about almost any situation that can pop up in your rookie year. You’ll find tons of real-life examples and plenty of those “Here’s what you shouldn’t do” stories (most of them, unfortunately, starring me). This is my way of helping you measure how deep the water is before you dive in.

You may find yourself getting a little nervous, because in many cases, I outline the worst-case scenario and what to do if bad things happen in class. Don’t misunderstand me. That doesn’t mean I don’t think you can handle it or that you should reconsider your decision to become a teacher. Nothing could be farther from the truth! I just want you to be prepared.

If you were about to try skydiving (another risky proposition), I’m sure you’d want someone to explain ahead of time how you’d feel when you leapt from the door of the plane and who told you what to do if your parachute became entangled or didn’t open. Even though you may feel better if that person simply said, “When you jump, you may feel a slight breeze, and then you’ll be safely on the ground before you even know what’s happened,” you’re much more likely to survive with the more honest advice.

Conventions Used in This Book

This book is fairly straightforward, but I do use a few conventions that you may want to be aware of:

Terminology: I use language that was commonplace in my school district, but it may differ slightly where you teach. I use the term elementary school to describe kindergarten through fifth grade, middle school to describe sixth through eighth grade, and high school to describe ninth through twelfth grade. Some districts have grammar schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, preparatory schools, and schools of hard knocks, so if that applies to where you are, you’ll just need to make the translation in your mind.

Gender-bending pronouns: When I’m speaking about a generic student, I won’t always use the standard masculine he. For example, I may say, “If a kid is becoming a troublemaker, speak to her parents at your earliest convenience.” Call it a weird hang-up of mine, but I think always assuming that whatever random person you’re talking about is male is odd, even though that’s been the standard followed by linguists for a long, long time. I do try, however, to use he and she fairly equally throughout the book, just to be fair.

Foolish Assumptions

For the most part, I make very few assumptions in this book. But it’s safe to say I do assume a few things about you. You’re probably acquiring the basic teaching skills in a college or postgraduate program, or you just graduated from college, so you know all the theory. You know how to construct a lesson plan or two, know more than you ever wanted to about educational psychology, and are filled to the gills with knowledge about school law. If you haven’t already done so, you’re about to climb into the driver’s seat of your classroom, jolt and shimmy down the street a few times, and begin to wonder, “What am I not doing right?”

You’re tired of people telling you what the clutch does, or the theory behind transmissions in general. You just want to drive! “Tell me how to work my feet so I can get this beast moving!” is your common refrain. You recognize, however, that the only way to actually figure out how to use that car (or manage that classroom) is to ask for some practical advice from someone who’s already done it.

One assumption I don’t make is what grade level you’re teaching or planning to teach. When I was writing, a lot of people asked me, “Is this going to be a book for elementary teachers or secondary teachers?” and they were surprised when I responded, “Both.” For some reason, most teachers think that what’s applicable to one group is not useful for the other. However, I found that all the teachers I interviewed, no matter what the age of their students, gave me the same basic advice. Of course, there are some differences, but those are covered in your training courses in college or graduate school. The result: I was able to write a book that applies to everyone, and I give examples for all age groups as often as possible to demonstrate that these ideas are not age-specific.

What You Won’t Find in This Book

Now that you have some idea of what this book contains, I want to fill you in on exactly what it doesn’t:

Inspirational, tear-jerking stories: You can find all kinds of books out there that try to convince you to teach by relating emotional tales of how teachers shape the future. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that teachers do inspire the leaders of tomorrow, but those stories don’t tell you what to do if a students openly defies you in class (which definitely will happen to you, no matter how much you may hope it won’t). This book gives you all sorts of strategies for getting and maintaining classroom control, but it won’t ever be made into a dramatic and heart- gripping, made-for-television movie.

Standard educational theory: You already have lots of basic knowledge when you exit a teacher-education program, so I don’t spend any time rehashing any of that in the pages that follow. I don’t tell you what the basic parts of a lesson plan are, but I do help you spruce yours up. I don’t debate the merits of a standard grading system versus a normalized grading system, but I do help you figure out which system to use and then show you how to calculate your grades.

Salsa recipes: If it’s help with Mexican food you’re after, you not only have the wrong book, you’re standing in the wrong section of the bookstore, for Pete’s sake.

What you will find in this book is solid advice, practical tips, and some smiles along the way.

How This Book Is Organized

Even though this book consists of 23 chapters divided into 6 major parts, you don’t have to read them in numerical order. Each chapter is completely self-contained and modular, so that you can start reading at any point and not have to worry about missing important concepts from other chapters. That way, you can read the chapters as you need them, or just sit back and digest the book from front cover to back cover (not literally of course, unless you’re craving a high-fiber diet). Here are the parts in this book, to help you get the lay of the land.

Part I: What They Didn’t Teach You in College

You can’t help but look back after you’ve started teaching and realize how useless a lot of that junk you learned in your education classes was. You start to wonder why the professors stressed the things they did (the five indicators of a properly constructed behavioral objective, for example) and didn’t talk about the things you’re most curious about (like what to do if a kid throws up). These chapters serve as a cold-water-in-the-face introduction to the world of education, and fill you in on how it’s not exactly what you may have anticipated.

Part II: Managing Your Classroom

Establishing discipline is the chief concern of rookie teachers — and it should be. If you have an orderly classroom, rhythm, music, then, my man, who could ask for anything more? Besides showing you how to metaphorically “crack the whip,” I’ll also show you how to set up your room and get used to your new home away from home.

Part III: Delivering Instruction

Teaching isn’t just about imparting knowledge, it’s also about pizzazz! The best educators are also entertainers, so these chapters show you how to become a legend in your students’ minds. I also help you hammer all the kinks out of your grading system before your first set of report-card grades are due.

Part IV: Meet the Supporting Cast

In this part, you get to know administrators, co-workers, parents, and students intimately. I introduce you to the kinds of people you meet and help you cope with all the people you’re supposed to please.

Part V: Duties Other than Teaching

In these chapters, I give you a leg up on all the paperwork that awaits you as a rookie, help you handle all your extracurricular activities, and even provide a basic primer about childhood illnesses and medical conditions you should be aware of. Even though your primary job is to teach, you have all kinds of other responsibilities as well, both in your classroom and outside it.

Part VI: The Part of Tens

It’s a Dummies trademark — the chunk of chapters in the form of top-ten lists. Here you find out ten things that always happen to rookie teachers (so you know what to expect). I also help you look out for common rookie errors and offer some tips about how to use technology in your classroom. Finally, I give you a list of ten great Internet resources that can make your life as a rookie teacher a bit easier.

Icons Used in This Book

Here and there, sprinkled in the margins of the book, you’ll find little pictures that point to important parts of the text. Here are the icons I use and what they mean.

These little nuggets of advice will save you valuable time or prevent headaches in the future. It’s sage advice from teachers who already have suffered the slings and arrows of bad decisions.

When I was a rookie, I sometimes felt like I was creeping through a minefield of potential problems. One wrong turn and . . . ka-blammo! Think of these warnings as little flags a minesweeper has placed in the field before you, so you know where you can safely step and where you definitely can’t.

File these things away in your mind because, somewhere down the road, you’ll be glad you did.

Every now and again, I offer advice specific to teachers of the little ones, my dear Watson.

Older kids sometimes require some strategies of their own, and this symbol will help you spot that advice.

Where to Go from Here

I’ve done my best to base all the advice in this book not just on my own crackpot ideas, but also on the bevy of interviews I conducted. However, you’re still bound to find things here and there that you may not agree with. I do contend that all the tips I include in these pages worked flawlessly for me as a teacher, and helped me to form a strong and lasting bond with my kids that lasts to this day. Even so, you’ll probably find yourself saying, “No, I couldn’t do that” every now and again.

Just keep in mind that no two teachers are exactly alike, and even though you’ll probably find 95 percent of this book useful, you may throw a few of my ideas out in favor of your own opinions and style. That’s fine! I’m not trying to turn you into a disciple of mine — I just want to let you know what issues you’ll need to think about ahead of time. Even if you end up disagreeing with me occasionally, you’ll still be forming your own strategies and policies, and that’s what’s most important, after all.

With all that said, I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. Teaching is the most rewarding job out there, despite all the challenges facing modern-day education, and I hope this book will provide guidance and give you the help you need to succeed. I want you to walk into your building every day with a smile on your face and a skip in your step, knowing that you and your kids are not only going to gain knowledge but are also going to enjoy your time together.

If you like what you read (or even if you don’t), the folks who publish this book would love to hear from you. Drop them a line via their Web site at www.dummies.com, or contact me directly through my Web site at www.calculus-help.com.

By the way, I eventually learned how to drive a stick shift, and I actually got quite good at it. I know you can do it as well!

Part I

What They Didn’t Teach You in College

In this part . . .

It’s time to draw back the curtains and march proudly out of college and into (gasp!) the real world! No matter how much preparation you have in college, nothing can quite prepare you for what you’re going to face when you’re all alone in front of your first class. Things have changed since you were in school, and you’ll notice it right away. However, it’s not just the classroom that will bring surprises and shocks during your rookie year. You’ll also have to deal with society’s preconceived notions about what a teacher is.

In this part, I help you figure out just where you fit in the grand scheme of things, both at your school and in your chosen occupation. I also bring you face to face with a universal truth: Most of the stuff you learned in your teacher training is utterly useless in the classroom! But don’t worry — I give you all kinds of information that you do need, and nothing you don’t.

Chapter 1

What Have You Gotten Yourself Into?

In This Chapter

Exploring how teaching compares to other occupations

Understanding the unique demands teachers face

Anticipating the challenges you’ll face before your first day of work

Coping with the chaos of your day-to-day life

Most new teachers are shocked by how different their perception of the teaching profession and teaching itself tend to be. In order to reduce the transitional shock from perception to reality, this chapter focuses on some of the biggest unexpected adjustments that you’ll need to make as you earn your stripes as a teacher. As you read this book, you may find that not every single thing applies to you directly, but you can still find underlying commonalities that affect all teachers. In addition, remember that even though teaching probably won’t be exactly the way you pictured it, by no means should you fear those differences. The little unanticipated variations from the expected are often what make teaching the job that so enticed you in the first place.