Helpful Bits of Advice from Veteran Teachers
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- Keep a sense of humor, stay organized, be flexible and document
everything.
Mariella Brenlla
Ponce de Leon Middle School
Coral Gables, FL
Grade Levels: 6-8
- Buy a large scrapbook. When a child gives you a school picture,
make sure they sign and date it. Then, place it in your scrapbook along
with a brief note to yourself to help you remember that student. You will
never regret taking the time to keep it updated.
James Gates
West Shore School District
New Cumberland, PA
Grade Levels: 6-8
- Leave your personal problems at the door and show the kids you
care.
Michael Uhl
I. E. Evans Intermediate School
Bonham, TX
Grade Levels: 3-5
- The first people you befriend in a new school are the secretaries and
the janitors. They can help you enormously! They are the most
valuable assets in the school; treat them well.
E. F. Pool
J. C. Burroughs School
Chicago, IL
Grade Levels: All
- Memorize and learn the students' names, first and last, before they
arrive! It is very important to start off your school year with
knowledge. Know your students' name, write them on name cards and assign
them a seat so you can also memorize them in order.
Doreen Travis
Fairview School
Sylva, NC
Grade Levels: 6-8
- Find a mentor! A veteran teacher that you can go to anytime
and ask lots of questions.
Patricia Contreras
Central Elementary School
San Diego, CA
Grade Levels: K-2
- Read or simply skim and scan Harry Wong's book The First
Days of School.
Donna Allen Krug
Mann Middle School
Brandon, FL
Grade Levels: 6-8
- Find another staff member to help you understand the unwritten rules of
your new school, like who to ask for supplies or cafeteria procedures.
Chris Kinney
Rockwell Jr. High School
Warren, MI
Grade Levels: 6-8
- Say something personal and something positive to every child, every
day. Kids need to know that you care.
Lori McLoughlin
Ellen T. Briggs School
Lake Hopatcong, NJ
Grade Levels: 3-5
- On the first day of school, ask each student to write pertinent personal
information on an index card. Then take the cards home and use them to
call or write thank-you notes. Have the
students list the following information: name, nickname, birthday, phone
number, address, birth date, parent name(s), favorite hobbies, best and worst
subject, and something I need to know about you.
Although home data is usually provided by your school, having these index
cards at home is useful all year and in some cases,
many years later.
Kathleen Beardsley
CNY Teaching Center
Nedrow, NY
Grade Levels: All
- Accept help whenever it is offered and find as many ways as
possible to praise students because that is what they
respond to the best.
Wendy DuToit
Blackmon Road Middle School
Columbus, GA
Grade Levels: 6-8
- I wish I knew:
- that a smile in those first critical few moments when facing the class for the first time would change the pace of the day.
- that the deep trembling all the way down to my toes would eventually go away before the first period was over.
- that the kids were more apprehensive about the teacher they were
getting than I was about them.
Islamic Elementary School
Queens, NY
Grade Levels: K-2
- A simple, kind word or smile means everything to a child. Take time to
listen to your students and give them adequate time to share. Trust your
instincts and judgments.
Sue Ritchie
Nathaniel Morton Elementary School
Plymouth, MA
Grade Levels: 3-5
- Start the school year the way you want the rest of the year to
progress. If you want quiet, expect it the first day. If you want
meaningful interaction throughout the year then make sure you have
it on the first day. Give students the respect and guidelines they need.
Make sure they know what you expect of them from day one and the rest of
the year runs itself.
Diane Shortall
Loma Vista School
Santa Ana, CA
Grade Levels: K-2
