Ideas for a new teacher

[ars1984]

Hi...I just got my first teaching job! :eek: I'm teaching 3rd grade and just wanted ANY great advice and ideas. Management tips, classroom setup ideas, etc. Im going to be doing my room in animal prints and fun and funky colors!! Thanks in advance!:D

[Boxcar]

Wow! Congradulations on the first job!

There is so much to tell you about teaching. I'm not even sure where to start.

I think that one thing you need to do is decide your classroom rules and consequences. These will need to be taught to the students throughout the first week. Make sure you post them in the room.

Setting up a room is quite fun. You need to make sure you have a workable arrangement. The students have presonal space around the desks or tables. You can keep an eye on everybody. That sort of thing.

Plan some relaxed activities and lessons for the first day. I prefer to slide into teaching instead of hitting the students with it right away on the first day.

Good luck! :)

[irish223]

Congratulations! Third grade is a really fun grade!

When I taught 3rd, I used Evan-Moor Daily Language Review. I also used their Daily Math Practice. Your curriculum may have something similar (as mine does), but I liked to use both of these first thing in the morning. The students quickly got into the routine of beginning the seat work, while I did the attendance stuff and collected homework. Afterward, we corrected it together, and since it's practice, I never graded it.

Another thing that worked for me was to collect all the homework first thing. Some teachers like to collect it throughout the day, as they come to each subject. For me, it was easier to stay organized if I collected all at once, in reverse alphabetical order. Our third graders use assignment notebooks, so it also made it easier to report to parents when students didn't complete homework. I used an 'incomplete' stamp to note homework that wasn't turned in. Can you tell I'm not a naturally organized person? :)

[wig]

Classroom Procedures and behavioral expectations should be the first thing you figure out and put on paper. Don't put down anything that you are not comfortable with because you need to be consistent with enforcing them.

I believe "Emmy" the author of the following links is (or was) a third grade teacher. Harry Wong is also very helpful when it comes to setting up procedures.

http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/3148.html

http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/3147.html

It seems like a lot of work to write them all out, but you will find it very helpful.

[Ms.Champion]

Congrats on your new job!!! I Student taught 3rd and just LOVED it. Now, I teach 6th grade. lol, quite a jump, I tell ya! Anyway---the one piece of advice I can give is to be consistant and fair. When you are discipling your students, do the same for each of them. Start this on day one so they know you mean business.

When I student taught 3rd, my co-op teacher had a very neat behavior system in her room. I tried this year w/ my 6th graders, but it was too diffcult with 2 seperate classes.

Anyway---I'll try to explain.

Each students had a plastic sandwich bag stapled to a bulletin board, with their name on it. Each student had 5 star fish. When they did something good for the day, they recieved a good fish. If they did something inappropriate, they had to take away one good fish from their bag. The student could earn the fish back throughtout the day. The most you could get was 5 fish a day. The way you did it in the classroom is you would say, "Let's see who is doing what I have asked them to do. Julie, you may put up a good fish. You were listening to my directions." That type of thing. I hope that makes sense. I can't wait to use it with my elementary kids, if I ever get down to that area to teach. lol

[Boxcar]

I like the fact that the fish could be earned back. Some teachers start out each week with a points system. If the student has a bad Monday or Tuesday, they are SOL the rest of the week - even if they are really well-behaved. This type of thing usually doesn't work so well. But the way you described is good...

[mualum07]

Yeah, I LOVE this method! I saw something very similiar done in a 1st grade class I subbed in last year. The teacher used McD French Fry containers and the students all started with 3 "French Fries". They could earn additional ones, or have some taken away, but also could earn them back. The "French Fries" were SO cute! They were these thick fuzzy yellow pipe cleaner-type things that were bent in a squiggle! So adorable and the novelty of it really helped keep the students motivated.. especially because no one wanted others to see them getting a fry taken away..

[Ms.Champion]

That is very cool to use the McD idea. That is sooo cute. Man, sometimes I wished I was teaching elementary age...just so I could have so much fun. It is hard to do that in the 6th grade and having sooo many kids. But, nevermind that, it is still a cute idea!!!

[BG2SC]

Congrats,
I just finished my 1st year teaching, and it will be a very interesting experience for you! My best advice is this: At the end of the day, when you walk out those doors, leave the stresses and concerns of school inside the building. If you continue to stress throughout the evening, you'll burn out. Come into the next day with a clear head, and try your best to not let previous problems affect your approach going forward.

[wlj]

Hi...I just got my first teaching job! :eek: I'm teaching 3rd grade and just wanted ANY great advice and ideas. Management tips, classroom setup ideas, etc. Im going to be doing my room in animal prints and fun and funky colors!! Thanks in advance!:D

I am also beginning my career as an educator. I am going to be in the 5th grade. I would love advice considering room themes, bulletin boards, etc. I have searched the internet today, and I have to say there are many ideas out there. Does anyone have any suggestions for a new 5th grade teacher? Thanks

[Brit]

I am just finishing my first year of teaching. My advice: go buy Harry Wong's "First Days of School". It is full of advice for starting out, and from everything I've heard and experienced, he's right on the mark.

[mrschestney2]

wlj~ Welcome to the wonderful world of teaching! My biggest suggestion is search on line for pictures of classrooms. There are many wonderful teachers out there that have websites with pictures of their classrooms. Some rooms you will go crazy over... loving what you see and other rooms you will go "not for me" but you learn a lot by just seeing how it is done somewhere else. I have been teaching for 18 years and am still learning! The day I stop I hope the toss the dirt on my casket... :-)
Best of Luck for a successful 1st year. I taught 4th my first 4 years... it is a blur now! LOL! :-) Andrea

[Boxcar]

One thing I like in a classroom is a place to display student work. Perhaps this is something you can consider including.