How to Be Successful in Your First Year of Teaching High School Everything You Need to Know That They Don't Teach You in School

by Anne Kocsis

Teaching can be a very stressful profession, one that causes worry in everyone who steps in front of a classroom for the first time and for a new High School teacher especially it can be downright overwhelming. The high turnover rate of new teachers and the stress involved with such low pay can be an immediate deterrent, but in most cases, the biggest problem is that new teachers are just not prepared for their first year in the role. This book, written for every new teacher who is stepping into a classroom for the first time, is designed to be that initial introduction every new high school teacher needs. Within the pages of this highly researched new book, first-year high school teachers will learn how to deal with supplies, planning, parents, overcrowded classrooms, the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, piles of paperwork, money shortages due to budget cuts, negativity from students and other staff members, at-risk students, students who are capable but choose not to work, and special needs students. You will learn how to ask principals and administrators for help, how to memorize names quickly, how to create seating charts, how to write lesson plans, how to follow a daily routine, how to help struggling students, how to gain respect from teenagers, finding a mentor, how to develop and implement a grading system, how to discipline older students, how to create assessments, how to find free things for teachers, and how to build your confidence. Perhaps most important of all, you will learn everything you need to know about how to deal with your students and the issues they face in their crucial teen years, from racism to low self esteem or abuse. In addition, you will read about where to go for support, mandated tests, technology solutions, and behavior management skills. We spent countless hours interviewing second year high school teachers in a number of subjects, as well as veteran teachers, and have provided you with their proven techniques and strategies for surviving your first year as a high school teacher. With the help of this book, you will ace your first year in front of the class and be ready to become the role model you always wanted to be in your second year.

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2010

Reviews

[Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good enough for a new teacher but it did not really provide any helpful tips.

[Risa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with this book. The grammar in the text is atrocious, and I can only assume that only the absolute minimum for editing and proof-reading was used, if that. The author misused words, had numerous grammatical errors, had frequent typos (extra letters/numbers/symbols added into words, etc.), contradicted herself in different chapters, and repeated herself more often than was necessary. I cannot say whether all of these errors are the fault of the writer or of the editor, but either way, the number and severity of such mistake discredit this book as a reliable professional resource. Although the author had a couple of good and helpful ideas, they were lost among the sea of mistakes and contradictions. I am not sure how this text came to be a published, printed book in its current condition. I also found that many of the sources the author used in her "research" were not the most credible or academic resources that she could have used. Overall, I think that my two-star rating is generous- I would not recommend this book.

[Mills College Library]

373.11 K768 2011