Finding Success the First Year: A Survivor's Guide for New Teachers

by Matthew Johnson

Overview

New teachers have it tough. They have a very difficult and complex job, and they must learn how to do it in front of a studio audience of unruly adolescents, anxious parents, and watchful administrators. To help new teachers navigate this daunting backdrop, Finding Success the First Year is here to act as a personal guide to the first year of teaching. This book was written by a new teacher navigating through his own first year, and it uses those experiences to serve as a foundation for a step-by-step guide on how to survive and thrive in that all important first year. With everything from answers to frequent new-teacher questions and warnings of common new teacher pitfalls to specific strategies and veteran tricks useful for clawing back precious hours of the day, Matthew Johnson gives clear tips and clear reasons for them in a straightforward, jargonless voice and a mixture of practicality and philosophy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781607097341
Publisher:	R&L Education
Publication date:	10/16/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	266
File size:	344 KB

About the Author

In the two short years of his career, Matthew Johnson has already experienced a variety of schools, taught most of grades 7–12, and striven to be a part of every little corner of school life. To learn more about Finding Success the First Year, and to get your hands on essential first-year teacher resources, please visit the author's website: www.matthewmjohnson.com.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Introduction
Part 2 Unit I Introduction: The Secret Weapons
Chapter 3 Enthusiasm
Chapter 4 Setting the Right Tone
Chapter 5 Respect
Chapter 6 The Power of Positives
Part 7 Unit 2 Introduction: Who Are Your Students
Chapter 8 Teaching Common Sense
Chapter 9 Teaching Is a Game of Inches
Chapter 10 Fragile Students
Part 11 Unit 3 Introduction: Relating to Your Students
Chapter 12 Keeping Lessons Clear
Chapter 13 How to Get the Most from Your Students
Chapter 14 Student Accountability or You Can Lead a Horse to Water
Chapter 15 How to Design a Foolproof Lesson
Chapter 16 How to Deliver a Foolproof Lesson
Part 17 Unit 4 Introduction: Managing Your Students
Chapter 18 Idle Threats and Consequence Scales
Chapter 19 Using Your Voice and Body to Deliver Messages
Chapter 20 How to Respond to Unwanted Behavior
Chapter 21 Trouble is Complex
Part 22 Unit 5 Introduction: Building Your Classroom Foundation
Chapter 23 Setting Up the Ground Rules
Chapter 24 Physically Setting Up the Classroom
Chapter 25 Classroom Rituals
Part 26 Unit 6 Introduction: The Tools of the Trade
Chapter 27 Lectures
Chapter 28 Discussions
Chapter 29 Group Work
Part 30 Unit 7 Introduction: Cheat Sheets
Chapter 31 How to Respond to a Question You Don't Have an Answer For
Chapter 32 A Student Cheats
Chapter 33 When Bad Things Happen in Good Classrooms
Chapter 34 Pressing the Reset Button on the Classroom
Part 35 Unit 8 Introduction: The Tasks
Chapter 36 Dealing With Parents
Chapter 37 Teaching to Everyone
Part 38 Unit 9 Introduction: The Traps
Chapter 39 Just Say No: The Pitches
Chapter 40 The Urge to Be Groovy
Chapter 41 Friendly Fire
Part 42 Unit 10 Introduction: The Tricks
Chapter 43 The Advantages of Being a New Teacher
Chapter 44 The Role of Emotion in Class
Chapter 45 The Use of Technology
Chapter 46 Becoming an Organizational Champion
Part 47 Conclusion: A Final Word

What People are Saying About This

Linda McGarry

Finding Success the First Year answers questions for new teachers that they haven't even had the time to ask. It is relevant and practical because it was written 'on the job' by a beginning teacher. This should be required summer reading for any new teachers. I will be recommending it to my students!

David West Brown

In Finding Success the First Year, Matthew Johnson delivers pragmatic teaching advice in concise, accessible prose. It's the kind of nuts-and-bolts guidance that is often overlooked in teacher training that beginning teachers—and experienced ones for that matter—will find invaluable.

Jeff Cammann

Being a first year teacher, I knew I had many unknown challenges ahead of me. After reading this book not only do I have an idea of what these challenges will look like, I also have different tools to handle these situations. This book is a must read for all beginning teachers

Editorial Reviews

Finding Success the First Year answers questions for new teachers that they haven't even had the time to ask. It is relevant and practical because it was written 'on the job' by a beginning teacher. This should be required summer reading for any new teachers. I will be recommending it to my students!

Linda McGarry

In Finding Success the First Year, Matthew Johnson delivers pragmatic teaching advice in concise, accessible prose. It's the kind of nuts-and-bolts guidance that is often overlooked in teacher training that beginning teachers—and experienced ones for that matter—will find invaluable.

David West Brown

Being a first year teacher, I knew I had many unknown challenges ahead of me. After reading this book not only do I have an idea of what these challenges will look like, I also have different tools to handle these situations. This book is a must read forall beginning teacherssss

Jeff Cammann

First-year teachers frequently have difficulty finding a resource that is succinct, helpful, and all encompassing. Johnson's Finding Success the First Year is the ticket. He has written an extremely practical book that addresses nearly every possible aspect of a first-year teacher's experiences. The book is divided into clear units and chapters on topics such as secret weapons (e.g., enthusiasm, setting the right tone, respect, and power of positivity), relating to students, and more. The chapters are short and easy to read and include specific experiences (e.g., parent e-mails, participation, body language, picking one's battles, and rituals) that first-year teachers will relate to readily. The author keeps a focus on student learning and engages in self-reflection, which makes his suggestions powerful. Each chapter ends with an exit slip that sums his writing well. In addition, there are some connections to other texts for further readingFirst-year and preservice teachers will find this resource invaluable. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and practitioners.

Choice Reviews

First-year teachers frequently have difficulty finding a resource that is succinct, helpful, and all encompassing. Johnson's Finding Success the First Year is the ticket. He has written an extremely practical book that addresses nearly every possible aspect of a first-year teacher's experiences. The book is divided into clear units and chapters on topics such as secret weapons (e.g., enthusiasm, setting the right tone, respect, and power of positivity), relating to students, and more. The chapters are short and easy to read and include specific experiences (e.g., parent e-mails, participation, body language, picking one's battles, and rituals) that first-year teachers will relate to readily. The author keeps a focus on student learning and engages in self-reflection, which makes his suggestions powerful. Each chapter ends with an exit slip that sums his writing well. In addition, there are some connections to other texts for further readingFirst-year and preservice teachers will find this resource invaluable. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and practitioners.

Choice Reviews - July 2011

First-year teachers frequently have difficulty finding a resource that is succinct, helpful, and all encompassing. Johnson's Finding Success the First Year is the ticket. He has written an extremely practical book that addresses nearly every possible aspect of a first-year teacher's experiences. The book is divided into clear units and chapters on topics such as secret weapons (e.g., enthusiasm, setting the right tone, respect, and power of positivity), relating to students, and more. The chapters are short and easy to read and include specific experiences (e.g., parent e-mails, participation, body language, picking one's battles, and rituals) that first-year teachers will relate to readily. The author keeps a focus on student learning and engages in self-reflection, which makes his suggestions powerful. Each chapter ends with an exit slip that sums his writing well. In addition, there are some connections to other texts for further readingFirst-year and preservice teachers will find this resource invaluable. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and practitioners.

Choice

First-year teachers frequently have difficulty finding a resource that is succinct, helpful, and all encompassing. Johnson's Finding Success the First Year is the ticket. He has written an extremely practical book that addresses nearly every possible aspect of a first-year teacher's experiences. The book is divided into clear units and chapters on topics such as secret weapons (e.g., enthusiasm, setting the right tone, respect, and power of positivity), relating to students, and more. The chapters are short and easy to read and include specific experiences (e.g., parent e-mails, participation, body language, picking one's battles, and rituals) that first-year teachers will relate to readily. The author keeps a focus on student learning and engages in self-reflection, which makes his suggestions powerful. Each chapter ends with an exit slip that sums his writing well. In addition, there are some connections to other texts for further readingFirst-year and preservice teachers will find this resource invaluable. Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and practitioners.

CHOICE