New Teacher help

[zzuvet]

I'm going into the classroom (high school biology) starting in mid January. I know the kids have had 3 substitutes so far this year with no science background but that's about it.

What are some things I should do to be successful? What are some procedures that you use?

[nachos]

Good luck!

I have had some staff turnover during the year this year, and it can be hard on students. If they've already had three teachers, they will likely have had little structure and routine. I would establish this very early on, and make sure that they know your expectations.

If you are using something like a Google classroom, I'd try to have that already set up, and incorporate a lesson on navigating it within the first few days. I would also likely create some sort of assessment to see what material they have already covered, and what their understanding is.

It won't take them long to settle into your routine if you are consistent. I would be prepared for them to "test" you - to see what they can get away with. All perfectly normal, and will help them learn as much about you as you do about them!

[Jalapeñomel]

I teach HS Chem, so the biggest thing for me is expectations and procedures.

I’m very strict with deadlines and rules in my classroom, and the kids complain, but I know they appreciate it. And I echo being consistent.

[nsl]

I don't teach science, but have been a mid-year replacement twice in my career. Treat the first few days as if they were the first days of school, establishing routines and setting norms while also covering some high-interest content. I found it helpful to send a letter home to parents telling them about my background and letting them know how to contact me. A diagnostic (maybe day 3) would also be very appropriate, especially if you're coming up on any local or state testing windows and need to know which skills to prioritize for the rest of the year.

These kinds of situations are very hard on students, and they may be very slow to warm up to you, especially if they've become accustomed to treating the class as a blow-off period. Don't give up, and do ask administrators for help if you need it. Good admin will understand that even a great teacher with solid classroom management can struggle in these types of situations, and won't hold any problems against you, especially if you're straightforward with them about what's happening.

Oh, and make sure you get to know the teachers whose classrooms are adjacent to yours, and get the copier code early! Good luck!

[zzuvet]

Dec 15, 2017 21:21:57 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

I teach HS Chem, so the biggest thing for me is expectations and procedures.

I’m very strict with deadlines and rules in my classroom, and the kids complain, but I know they appreciate it. And I echo being consistent.

What are some procedures that you teach? I am in an alternative certification program so this job is also my student teaching. I taught in grad school but I have been in a research lab for the last few years and this idea is new to me.

[zzuvet]

Dec 16, 2017 10:41:53 GMT -5 nsl said:

I don't teach science, but have been a mid-year replacement twice in my career. Treat the first few days as if they were the first days of school, establishing routines and setting norms while also covering some high-interest content. I found it helpful to send a letter home to parents telling them about my background and letting them know how to contact me. A diagnostic (maybe day 3) would also be very appropriate, especially if you're coming up on any local or state testing windows and need to know which skills to prioritize for the rest of the year.

These kinds of situations are very hard on students, and they may be very slow to warm up to you, especially if they've become accustomed to treating the class as a blow-off period. Don't give up, and do ask administrators for help if you need it. Good admin will understand that even a great teacher with solid classroom management can struggle in these types of situations, and won't hold any problems against you, especially if you're straightforward with them about what's happening.

Oh, and make sure you get to know the teachers whose classrooms are adjacent to yours, and get the copier code early! Good luck!

I do expect this to be a challenge. Their class schedule means I will only see them for two weeks then off two weeks and so forth the whole year. Thank you!

[Jalapeñomel]

Dec 16, 2017 10:58:08 GMT -5 zzuvet said:

Dec 15, 2017 21:21:57 GMT -5 Jalapeñomel said:

I teach HS Chem, so the biggest thing for me is expectations and procedures.

I’m very strict with deadlines and rules in my classroom, and the kids complain, but I know they appreciate it. And I echo being consistent.

What are some procedures that you teach? I am in an alternative certification program so this job is also my student teaching. I taught in grad school but I have been in a research lab for the last few years and this idea is new to me.

First 5 minutes are the do now, and I give points to those working. They must grab a reference table and calculator upon entering the classroom, as well as pick up daily guided notes by the door.

Homework must be turned in at the start of class. I give kids a week to do homework, so I don’t take any late homework unless they are out on an excused absence.

For labs, I assign one person per table/bench to be the materials manager. This is the only person who has permission to be out of their seat until clean up.

I ask students to wait until independent work time to use the facilities, sharpen their pencils, etc.

They have quiz and binder check on Fridays. I drop their lowest quiz, so there are no make up quizzes. Excused absences, the quizzes are excused.

[RoxMonster]

I teach HS English but thought I'd respond re: rules and procedures.

I'd decide ahead of time how you want to handle things like:
-late work (will you accept and will there be percentage off?)
-make-up work procedures--will they see you before school, is it posted somewhere in the room or online?
-consequences for things you want to or have to give consequences for like being late to class, inappropriate behavior, etc.
-How will you handle cell phones in the classroom?

Some of these might be mandated by your school handbook and/or administration. For instance, we get to decide how to handle late work individually, but our principal has a cell phone policy we all must follow. Try to get a copy of the handbook now or ASAP and read through it.

If the school is 1:1, make sure you know how to use the device and any online LMS they use like Google Classroom. If it isn't 1:1 but you think you will want/need tech, find out what the school has and how you can access it.

I would type up your syllabus and spend the first couple days going through procedures and modeling/practicing them. I agree with treating it like the first days back in August because it essentially is for you. I also like the suggestion of some sort of assessment those first few days to see where their knowledge is.

I can't help with the content, but I would definitely not hesitate to ask the other science teachers/dept head for any resources they might have, and one good place to get ideas is Teachers Pay Teachers. There are several freebies on there (even things like a syllabus template so you can just plug in your info and go!) I also follow a lot of teachers' blogs. I mainly follow ELA, but you can just Google "high school biology blogs." Other teachers are the BEST source of inspiration for content ideas.

A couple general education blogs that cover things like procedures, classroom management, etc. for any level that I like are:

Cult of Pedagogy www.cultofpedagogy.com/
The Cornerstone thecornerstoneforteachers.com/blog/

Good luck! The first few days may be rough, but you will all move past it

[lovebeingmama]

Have a routine for the first 5 minutes of the class. What should they be doing when they walk in? I taught middle school science and had an Opening Activity in my classroom. It was on the board when they walked in, and they knew it was their responsibility to get started as soon as they walked in. Usually, they would write responses in their science journals.

Examples of some Opening Activities:
- pick up an article and begin reading it
- collect supplies for a lab activity
- answer a review question
- discuss a question with their table partners
- describe something 'scientific' you did this weekend.

This got them into their seats and ready for class. It gave me time to talk to specific kids, check in HW, reset any demos from the previous class, etc. We would briefly go over the answers together, and then start class.

It helped to have a set routine like this. Otherwise those first few minutes when they entered would have been chaos. Good luck!

[Jalapeñomel]

How did it go?