lae.org Instructional Advocacy New Teacher Guide

Your Support Staff

1. Your professional colleagues. These are the people in your immediate work environment who can serve as valuable resources. They may include department members, grade level team, mentor teacher.
2. The principal. The principal is the educational leader of the school. A discussion of his/her vision for the school and school climate can be significant.
3. The assistant principal. This person is often in charge of discipline. A few minutes with this key person can be helpful. These colleagues are important links to your school’s curriculum design and instructional resources.
4. The department chairperson, learning coordinator, or grade level team leader.
5. Site council members. Your school may be a site-based decision making school. A discussion with the site council members can help you understand the way your school operates.
6. Secretaries. Key individuals to meet! As the saying goes...if you want to know what is going on; ask the secretary.
7. Custodian(s). Another key individual...sometimes the best friend a teacher can have. Aides and paraprofessionals.
8. People who provide school services, such as computer resources person, audio-visual coordinator, psychologist, social worker, therapist.
9. Parent volunteers.
10. Local Association Building Representative. This person can answer questions regarding your rights and responsibilities, local contract and insurance.

Tools of the trade

1. Your schedule
2. School calendar
3. Faculty handbook
4. Curriculum guides
5. Textbooks (student and teacher’s editions)
6. Student handbook
7. Keys
8. Class lists
9. Attendance forms
10. Supplies (paper, pencils, chalk, stapler, scissors, tape)
11. Lesson plan book
12. Grade book
13. Staff directory
14. Local telephone directory
15. Local teaching contract
16. This handbook
17. Computers

Websites and Publications

LAE- www.lae.org
LAE Voice , LAE’s publication

NEA - www.nea.org
NEA Today, NEA’s monthly publication.

Louisiana Department of Education - www.doe.state.la.us/

Be Prepared

1. Write out teaching plans in detail for those first days. Plan twice as much as you think you will have time to cover in a day. Plan several activities in case some or all of your students zoom through your scheduled activities.
2. Make sure you know and understand the district’s scope and sequence in your teaching assignment area and think about how you will go about teaching the subject(s).
3. Make your room look inviting; decorate the bulletin boards in an attractive fashion.
4. Think about your room arrangement. Consider traffic patterns, cooperative learning needs, discussion facilitation, students with special needs.
5. Organize, collect and duplicate your materials. Don’t wait until the morning of your first day to do this.
6. Think about the classroom’s climate. You will need to make decisions about:
   1. Classroom rules of conduct
   2. What you will tell your students about yourself
   3. The degree of formality/informality in your personal style
7. Consider sending out an introductory postcard or letter to your students and their parents.
8. Prepare a substitute packet for emergency absences.

More Helpful Hints

1. Be sure to consider these additional suggestions as they are especially important if you are new to the community:
2. Consider your commute. Find the best route and check traffic patterns and time.
3. Subscribe to a local newspaper. This will help you get to know your community better.
4. Familiarize yourself with your community:
   1. Post office location
   2. Local government offices, including city hall and police station
   3. Public library
   4. Parks
   5. Medical facilities
5. Try to get a flavor of your community. Find out:
   1. Businesses and industries that will employ most of your students’ parents
   2. Local service groups
   3. Names of local leaders and representatives