This book is designed for new teachers to serve as a documentation and reflection of their first year of teaching. The idea for the book came from teacher mentors using the author's book Mentoring in Action. The First Year Matters: Being Mentored...In Action provides new teachers with a practical guide to use throughout their mentoring experience as well as for self-reflection.
Many new teachers become overwhelmed in their first year of teaching and leave the profession. Many are so busy trying to meet all of the criteria of the assessments-based curriculum that often the most obvious skills are overlooked for discussion with their mentor. Often the mentor and the teacher spend their meetings discussing one student or situation. This book outlines the school year month-by-month so curriculum-based topics can be discussed in a more systematic way.
The author encourages the new teacher to become a listener and filter all of the information coming at them as a new teacher. They can't do everything! This book will help them use the mentoring process as a way to get the most out of their first year of teaching without getting discouraged. The book can be used: - with small groups of new teachers as well as individually.
- with a teacher mentor, but can also serve as a guide to enrich the quality of their reflections
- as a tool to document the school year for licensing purposes as well as serve as a ready reference for the second year of teaching.
