New Teacher Advice1

Beginning Teacher's Tool Box: This site offers everything from an "Ask Our Mentor a Question" section where you can e-mail questions or concerns to a veteran teacher, to "Tips for New Teachers" that include inspiration, humor, and the top 10 things to do before school starts. Be sure to check out the Beginning Teachers Message Board.

Helping Your Students with Homework: How do you make sure that students do their homework? One of the most frustrating things for a teacher to master is figuring out what to do with homework. Look over these 18 suggestions for managing homework better.

I Love Teaching.com: Designed to encourage new teachers and those studying to be teachers. Click "Tid-Bits" for a list of things a rookie teacher wishes that he/she had known before stepping into the classroom.

Tips for New Teachers: These tips and ideas are presented to you by members of the Vermont-National Education Association. Tips include 27 tips for starting the year off right, eleven tips about homework and other useful ideas for the new teacher.

Icebreakers: Are you looking for the perfect way to get to know your students and help them get to know one another? You'll find it here! First-Day-of-School 'Icebreakers' Help students and teachers warm up!

14 More Activities: Fourteen Great Activities for the First Days of School!

Even MORE Activities: Fourteen MORE Activities for the First Days of School!

New Middle School Teacher Guide: This site offers resource tips and links for new teacher.

Teachers Helping Teachers Middle school teacher Scott Mandel and other contributing educators provide basic teaching tips to beginning teachers--things that they can immediately implement in the classroom. It offers lesson plans and has features like "Poem of the Week" and "This Week's Stress Reduction Moment." This site also has a list of education Web sites organized by subject area and topic.

Teachers.net: Mentor Support Center Beginning teachers will definitely want to check out the "Mentor Support Center" from Teachers.net. This feature brings together educators in category-specific chats, such as the chat board specifically for beginning teachers. The site also includes lesson plans, live meetings, a bookshelf with a list of useful resources, and a newsletter.

What to Expect Your First Year of Teaching The U.S. Dept. of Education offers this FREE online book (in PDF format,requiring an Acrobat reader): a compilation of award-winning first-year teachers' experiences, challenges, and successes. It includes tips on how to have a successful first year, advice from veteran teachers, and a discussion about the things for which no training could have prepared new teachers.

The New Teacher's Guide to the U.S. Department of Education Every teacher, beginning or veteran, should know how to use the resources of the U.S. Department of Education. This site contains a wealth of FREE information, if you just know how to find it.

Getting to Know You: Activities for the First Day of School