The First Days of Class: A Practical Guide for the Beginning Teacher

by Rebecca Lynn Wilke

Overview

This easy-to-use, step-by-step guide takes you through everything you need to know in your first days, weeks, and months as a new teacher, from developing your plan book and filing system in August to updating your grade book and celebrating your success in June.

Chapters cover diverse learners, classroom organization and management, curriculum and instruction, lesson planning, grading systems, professional development, and more. Practical and specific advice helps you build the right classroom environment, create “essential file folders,” make a curriculum calendar, and even find the right wall art!

The First Days of Class provides all the tools of the trade for new, substitute, returning, and emergency credential teachers, including:

Short, easy-to-reference sections within each chapter

Tip boxes at the end of every chapter

Classroom material samples, including “Our Classroom Rules” and a calendar of multicultural celebrations

Resources that include a “A Teacher’s Ten Commandments,” Recommended Reading, and Educational websites.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510736962
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	11/20/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	152
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dr. Rebecca Lynn Wilke has served as an educational consultant and university professor in the Southern California area, working with children and adults in both public and private school settings. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California where she received her doctorate in Educational Leadership, specializing in multicultural education.

Table of Contents

Preface
Dedication
About the Author
1. Getting Ready to Interview: Personal Reflections, the Right Path, and Interview Readiness
2. Where It All Happens: Creating the Right Atmostphere
3. So Much to Do, So Little Time: How Do You Organize It All?
4. Planning the Trip: Your Plan Book Can Be Your Best Friend
5. Enter the Students! Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners
6. The First Month of the Journey
7. Keeping the Records Straight
8. The People You'll Meet Along the Way
9. Professional Growth: Charting Your Progress
10. Staying on Track Throughout the School Year
11. Crossing the Finish Line: Time to Celebrate Your Success!
Appendix A: A Teacher's Ten Commandments
Appendix B: "The Joy of Teaching "
Appendix C: Recommended Readings
Appendix D: Educational Websites
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Finally, a book about teaching that lives up to its name: it's practical; it does guide; and it is totally appropriate for the beginning teacher. Wilke uses her twenty years of teaching pupils and supervising novice teachers to design a road map to success for teachers embarking on their journeys from the job hunt to the summer vacation following their first year of teaching. If new teachers followed this map, they would certainly succeed in navigating the twists and turns of that most difficult year on the job. "

Robert Infantino

"This book has a very good handle on the specifics of what an inexperienced teacher might encounter. It is clearly written and easy to understand. "

Ken Klopack

"This book is a valuable resource to teachers because it is very 'hands on,' filled with practical information and suggestions about how to handle the everyday problems and issues that teachers will confront. It has a good theoretical foundation, but is simple, straightforward, highly accessible, and free of confusing jargon. The focus on diversity is an especially key feature. It should be a valuable resource to any beginning teacher. "

Robert Rueda

"[It] is a "reader friendly" guide written especially for those new to the chaotic yet rewarding art of educating young people, whether in a public or private school environment."

Reviewer's Bookwatch

"A comprehensive and thoughtful review of important issues and things to consider for all beginning teachers. This little book could well serve as a mentor for those new to the teaching profession. "

Stuart E. Gothold