This book provides advice intended to empower new teachers with the tools necessary to feel prepared, confident, and comfortable and to succeed, maintain enthusiasm, and remain committed to teaching. Among the numerous strategies and survival skills it promotes are time and stress management, effective organization, quality lesson plans, and professional development. Nine chapters focus on: (1) "You are Not Alone" (e.g., fitting in and establishing relationships); (2) "Organizing Your Classroom and Yourself" (e.g, setting up the classroom and finding time and balance in one's personal and professional life); (3) "Learner-Friendly Classroom Management" (e.g., routines and increasing efficiency with classroom monitors); (4) "Preparing Lesson Plans and Units that Engage Students" (e.g., basic instructional approaches and time on task); (5) "Preventing Discipline Problems" (e.g., motivating students and increasing positive interactions); (6) "Assessing Student Learning and Performance" (e.g., classroom assessment programs and tips for assessing learning); (7) "Developing Partnerships with Parents" (e.g., parent conferences and back-to-school night); (8) "Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers!)" (e.g., entire class misbehaving and student apathy); and (9) "Your Own Professional Development" (e.g., reflecting on practice and teaching portfolios). (Contains 39 references.) (SM).

What goes into a really good story? Only the best ingredients—a heroine, a hero, excitement, a little romance, and even a villain or two. They are all here, as Aunt Isabel and her niece concoct a delightful story within a story. Fun to read aloud, this book is a lively yarn, a visual treat, and a charming introduction—all in one.

Elementary school provides foundational development and education for students, and there is much that a new teacher must consider when taking on the responsibility of shaping young minds. In The New Elementary Teacher’s Handbook, veteran educators give first-year teachers a multitude of classroom-tested strategies for those critical first days of school. New teachers need just as much guidance as students in order for everyone to come away with a valuable learning experience. This authoritative handbook gives teachers practical and thorough instruction on: · Organizing the classroom and preparing engaging and effective lesson plans · Teaching using technology and the Internet · Dealing with difficult parents and conducting conferences · Motivating students and increasing positive interactions · Balancing personal and professional matters With resources, samples, templates, homework contracts, strategies, checklists, and proven solutions to everyday challenges, this book shows teachers how to turn their plans into effective strategies in the classroom. Rest assured that you are not alone, and you will succeed!