BECOMING A MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER IN TEXAS helps students master the competencies that will be tested on the new Pedagogy and Professsional Responsibilities (PPR) Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES), but it is more than just a test preparation guide: it provides a comprehensive introduction to the core topics that every Texas middle school and high school teacher must be familiar with, including adolescent development, how to meet the needs of a culturally-diverse population, planning, learning theory, technology, classroom management and assessment.

Throughout the country, a growing number of college students, recent college graduates, and mid-career adults are thinking about becoming teachers. Teaching in middle and high schools combines a lifelong pursuit of learning, a long-held dream of joining a field that they respect, a chance to work with young people, and an opportunity to make a difference in society. The Essential Career Guide to Becoming a Middle and High School Teacher offers a step-by-step guide to preparation, certification, and employment as a teacher. It provides guidance about issues and choices facing prospective educators, including making the decision to teach, assessing the differences between middle schools and high schools, identifying an excellent teacher education program, understanding alternative pathways to certification, taking state-mandated teacher tests, succeeding as a student teacher, and finding a first job in the profession. A complete state-by-state listing of programs, including current U.S. News & World Report Top Fifty rankings and certification requirements rounds out this valuable guide.

Middle school, the formative years in which students reach puberty and start the massive, life changing alterations that will determine who they are, is one of the hardest times for any new teacher to start their career. Problem students can become harder to deal with and those who are not prepared often don t make it through their first year without a little help. This book has been written to help every teacher who is dreading rather than looking forward to that first day in front of their new classes. This heavily researched, detailed book will help first-year middle school teachers 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 pubescent 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 readers, how to gain respect, how to get a mentor, how to develop and implement a grading system, how to discipline students who feel they are more mature than they are, how to create assessments, how to find free things for teachers, and how to build your confidence. The most important thing of all, you will learn how to deal with the rapidly changing emotions and hormones of new teenagers and middle school age students. In addition, you will read about where to go for support, the reality of spending your own money on classroom supplies, mandated tests, technology solutions, and behavior management skills. We spent countless hours interviewing second year middle school teachers, as well as veteran teachers, and have gathered and presented their advice for how to deal with the first year in teaching at a middle school. With this book in hand, you will not only survive you will feel empowered to go on after your first year and become a powerful motivating force for scores of young people for years to come. Atlantic Publishing is a small, independent publishing company based in Ocala, Florida. Founded over twenty years ago in the company president's garage, Atlantic Publishing has grown to become a renowned resource for non-fiction books. Today, over 450 titles are in print covering subjects such as small business, healthy living, management, finance, careers, and real estate. Atlantic Publishing prides itself on producing award winning, high-quality manuals that give readers up-to-date, pertinent information, real-world examples, and case studies with expert advice. Every book has resources, contact information, and web sites of the products or companies discussed.

Designed for and by high school journalism educators, this book provides practical information for secondary school teachers and media advisers so that they can solve the problems they confront daily and learn and grow in their jobs. Chapters in the book are: (1) What Are We Doing Here, Anyway?; (2) Grades, ACT Tests, Attitudes, and Involvement; (3) Advanced Placement; (4) Journalism Programs Involve Almost a Million Kids and Teachers; (5) Teachers Make It Work, But How? Certification, Satisfaction, Professional Life; (6) Who Pays the Piper? Sources of Newspaper Budgets; (7) Who Calls the Tune? Linking Budget Sources and Free Expression; (8) The Rugged Road to Scholastic Press Freedom; (9) "Hazelwood": The Supreme Court Sets Up a Detour; (10) Scholastic Press Freedom in the '90s: How Advisers and Students Are Coping with "Hazelwood"; and "Concluding Thoughts: We Don't Just Make It Up as We Go Along." An 80-page bibliography classified by subject and arranged in reverse chronological order is attached. Entries in the bibliography present ERIC accession numbers and annotations where available. (RS)

Principals of middle-grade schools in port of entry communities along the Texas-Mexico border were surveyed to learn about the education and preparational experiences these principals believed novice teachers should have before coming to teach in their schools. Demographic data about themselves, teachers, students and middle-grade schools, along with suggestions for improving Texas teacher education programs were also obtained. Mexican Americans were the dominant ethnic group and culture in these schools for principals, teachers and students. Principals were mostly male, well educated, and certified for the position they held. Student populations ranged from 437--1,603 in rural, urban and suburban settings. Eighty-two percent of the student population participated in the Federal Free Lunch Program. Faculty populations in these schools ranged from 35--145. Student/Teacher ratios range from 8.8/1--18/1. Half the rural schools in this study have difficulty attracting all the properly certified teachers needed for their classrooms. Principals slightly preferred secondary certified over elementary certified teachers for middle-grade teaching positions. Combined responses from principals revealed that knowledge centered around middle school themes was at least as important for pre-service teachers as their knowledge of pedagogy. The majority of responding principals ranked the following coursework and experiences as "essential" or "very important" for pre-service teachers: student teaching in the middle-grades, appropriate teaching methods for pre- and young adolescents, pre-student teaching field experiences in the middle-grades, developmental characteristics and needs of pre- and young adolescents, and curriculum and organization in middle-grades. Other coursework and experiences ranked by the majority of principals as "important" are: dealing with the culture of poverty, dealing with the Latino culture, and ESL certification. The compiled responses from data revealed responding principals believe Texas teacher education programs are adequately preparing pre-service teachers. However, more emphasis should be placed on: middle-grade teaching skills and concepts, classroom management and discipline, curriculum and instruction, and communication with parents, staff, and community. Pre-service teachers need more information about working with students and parents living in poverty. Responding principals would also like pre-service teachers to have greater exposure to middle-grade classrooms through additional observation experiences and student teaching.

This TExES Business and Finance 6-12 study guide includes TExES Business and Finance 6-12 practice test questions. Our TExES Business and Finance 6-12 study guide contains easy-to-read essential summaries that highlight the key areas of the TExES Business and Finance 6-12 test. Mometrix's TExES Business and Finance 6-12 test study guide reviews the most important components of the TExES Business and Finance 6-12 exam.

Written to address all grade levels, this K-12 classroom resource provides teachers with strategies to support their culturally and linguistically diverse students. This highly readable book by Dr. Sharroky Hollie explores the pedagogy of culturally responsive teaching, and includes tips, techniques, and activities that are easy to implement in today's classrooms. Both novice and seasoned educators will benefit from the helpful strategies described in this resource to improve the following five key areas: classroom management, academic literacy, academic vocabulary, academic language, and learning environment. Grounded in the latest research, this second edition includes an updated reference section and resources for further reading.